Support Food Equity:Free School Meals & No Surveillance Pricing on Food
Support Food Equity:Free School Meals & No Surveillance Pricing on Food
This Wednesday March 4th two important food equity bills will be heard in their final committees, both aimed at addressing the staggering food insecurity in Hawaiʻi.
On March 4th at 10:00 a.m. in Conference Room 308, the House Committee on Finance will hear a bill to expand free school meal coverage to all public school and charter school students starting in the 2029-2030 school year. The same day at 2:00pm in Conference Room 325, the House Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs will hear a bill to prohibit the use of surveillance pricing on food. Testimony for both bills is due Tuesday, March 3rd (late testimony is still accepted).
If you have not done so already you will need to create an account with the Hawaiʻi State Legislature website to submit testimony.
Support HB 1779, HD1: Free School Meals
Testimony Due: 3/3/26
What Does This Bill Do?
Expands free school meal coverage, beginning with the 2029-2030 school year, to all public school students, including public charter school students, regardless of whether the student participates in a federal school meals program.
Why Is This Important? Sample Testimony:
One in three households in Hawaii report food insecurity, and almost half (46%) of ALICE (asset limited income constrained employed) households reported food insecurity. Yet two out of three financially vulnerable families in our state are ineligible for free school meals. Implementing free school meals for all can provide food security to students who may otherwise not eat at all.
Nutrition is essential to all growing children and teenagers. It has been shown to vastly improve academic outcomes. However, there are still up to one in four children in Hawaiʻi that regularly go without enough nutritious meals at home. This means that for many children in Hawaiʻi, school breakfast and lunch are the most nutritious meals they get in a day. Being able to feed all students regardless of need at no cost to the students allows for us to remove the stigma of being on "Free/Reduced Lunch" programs, and also removes a huge burden from parents who will no longer have to worry about making sure their children are able to eat while at school.
Please support HB 1779 HD1.
Your name, Town
Support HB 2458, HD2: Bans Surveillance Pricing on Food
Testimony Due: 3/3/26
What Does This Bill Do?
Prohibits persons from using surveillance pricing in the sale of food. Surveillance pricing is a form of dynamic pricing where a consumer's personal data and behavior, including location, demographics, browsing patterns, and shopping history, is used to determine their willingness to pay for a good or service. This can have an adverse effect on consumers, especially for low-income individuals and households that rely on government assistance. Data has shown that retailers often change prices to raise their own profits while leaving consumers to pay.
Why Is This Important? Sample Testimony:
The increasing cost of groceries and basic necessities continues to place a strain on Hawaii's residents. In Hawaiʻi, some residents must spend over seventeen per cent of their household budget to put a meal on the table, which is significantly higher than the national average of twelve per cent, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Hawaiʻi Food Bank reports one in three households in Hawaii reporting food insecurity, and two-thirds of these families are experiencing the most extreme version of this in the form of reducing food intake, skipping meals, or going whole days without eating.
Consumers need proactive protections. As recognized by the legislature, surveillance pricing can obscure the base price of everyday items and can lessen the power that consumers wield to make responsible and financially sound decisions. In an ever increasingly challenging economy, introducing this practice increases the complexity of preparing a meal budget when you can not know how much something will cost at checkout.
While retailers can use surveillance pricing to lower the cost of goods, data has shown that instead, retailers often change prices to raise their own profits. Permitting loyalty programs to offer discounted prices allows retailers to lower the cost of goods without needing customers' individual data.
Please support HB 2458 HD2.
Your name, Town
