Informing the Legislature that on June 8, 2026, the Governor signed the following bill into law: HB2300 HD1 SD1 CD1 (ACT 116).

This bill, known as Act 116, amends state laws to simplify how the Hawaii Department of Education purchases local food items like fresh produce and packaged goods. It raises the threshold for these small purchases from $100,000 to $200,000, allowing the department to bypass the standard electronic procurement system for orders under this amount and instead require only three written quotes. The legislation also includes a safeguard to prevent the department from artificially splitting larger purchases into smaller ones just to avoid stricter buying rules. These changes are intended to help the state meet its goal of providing at least 30% locally sourced food in public schools by 2030 and will remain in effect until June 30, 2028.