HR 185 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO CONVENE A WORKING GROUP TO ADDRESS THE FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF AUDITOR'S REPORT NO. 26-08 REGARDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF HAWAII'S FARM-TO-SCHOOL AND LOCAL FOOD PROCUREMENT INITIATIVES.

This bill requests the Hawaii Department of Education to form a working group to address findings from an auditor's report on the state's farm-to-school and local food procurement initiatives. The working group will include representatives from education, agriculture, food distribution, schools, and community organizations to review challenges identified in the audit, such as lack of strategic planning and coordination issues. The group will develop strategies to improve data collection, streamline local food procurement processes, and strengthen partnerships between schools and local farmers. The Department of Education is asked to submit a report with findings and recommendations to the legislature by the start of the 2027 session.

Issues: ✓ Education

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2026

Committee Review

Apr 2026

House Passage

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Mar 16, 2026 Last action Apr 2, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

HR185 → HR185_HD1 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was updated to reflect its progression to the House of Representatives (HD1), changing the document metadata and dates. Substantively, the list of officials receiving certified copies of the resolution was expanded to include the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House, ensuring broader legislative notification. Minor formatting adjustments were made to the title and section text.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's applicability remains unchanged; it still directs the Department of Education to convene a working group on farm-to-school initiatives.

REQUIREMENT

Added the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House to the list of officials who must receive certified copies of the resolution.

TECHNICAL

Updated bill metadata, including the title to indicate House version (HD1), and adjusted associated dates and reference numbers.

Reformatted the bill title and section headers for consistency with House document standards.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the House by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 2, 2026

Lower · Passed

Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN as amended in HD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).

lower

Apr 2, 2026

Committee

Reported from EDN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1774-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending referral to FIN.

lower

Mar 31, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on EDN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 6 Ayes: Representative(s) Woodson, La Chica, Amato, Evslin, Kapela, Olds; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 4 Excused: Representative(s) Garrett, Kila, Muraoka, Souza.

lower

Mar 18, 2026

Committee

Referred to EDN, FIN, referral sheet 19

lower

Mar 16, 2026

Introduced

Offered

lower

12 primary · 0 co-sponsors