SR 31 Hawaii Senate · 2026 Regular Session

REQUESTING CERTAIN STATE AND COUNTY AGENCIES, IN COORDINATION WITH COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, TO DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE STATEWIDE FOOD SECURITY STRATEGY.

This Senate Resolution requests state and county agencies to work with community organizations to create a comprehensive statewide food security strategy. The bill aims to address food insecurity, which currently affects about 32% of households in Hawaii, with higher rates among families with children and marginalized communities. The proposed strategy must be data-driven and equity-focused, requiring agencies to assess barriers to food access, analyze trends like climate change impacts, and recommend policies to reduce food costs while supporting local agriculture. Participating agencies must submit a report with findings and recommendations to the Legislature by the end of 2026 to inform future policy and funding decisions.

Issues: ✓ Environment

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2026

Committee Review

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Apr 2026

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Mar 10, 2026 Last action May 12, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

SR31 → SR31_SD1 · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill update expands the scope of Hawaii's food security strategy to explicitly include individuals with disabilities and those with access and functional needs. It requires the strategy to address unique barriers these populations face, align with existing disability support programs, and incorporate emergency preparedness measures to ensure food access during disasters.

Scope change

The bill's scope was broadened to mandate that the statewide food security strategy specifically considers the needs of individuals with disabilities and access and functional needs, ensuring they are not overlooked in food security planning.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new requirement for the food security strategy to consider the unique barriers faced by individuals with disabilities and access and functional needs.

Mandated alignment with existing programs serving disabled populations, such as SNAP, Medicaid home and community-based services, and aging network supports, to reduce fragmentation.

Required the strategy to incorporate emergency preparedness and disaster response considerations, acknowledging that individuals with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by food access disruptions during emergencies.

Updated the list of agencies receiving certified copies of the resolution to include the State Council on Developmental Disabilities and the Disability and Communication Access Board.

Revised the description of food insecurity statistics to clarify that 34 percent of children live in households experiencing food insecurity.

Floor votes

How they voted

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

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Report and Resolution Adopted, as amended (SD 1).

upper

Apr 8, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported from GVO/AEN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3505) with recommendation of adoption, as amended (SD 1).

upper

Apr 1, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on AEN recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in AEN were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Gabbard, Richards, Rhoads; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) DeCoite, Awa.

upper

Apr 1, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on GVO recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in GVO were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) McKelvey, Gabbard, Hashimoto; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Moriwaki, Awa.

upper

Mar 27, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on GVO/AEN has scheduled a public hearing on 04-01-26 3:30PM; Conference Room 224 & Videoconference.

upper

Mar 19, 2026

Committee

Referred to GVO/AEN.

upper

Mar 10, 2026

Introduced

Offered.

upper

3 primary · 2 co-sponsors