And here to testify, patiently waiting, we have our attorney general. Thank you for your patience. >> Good afternoon, Chair Kim, Vice Chair Kdani, Senator Dort, and Horichi from the Department of the Attorney General. Um, as noted in our testimony, the bill refers to um or uses terminology of non-local al alternatives, but there is currently no definition for that term in statute. Um, so we suggest revising the bill to um um include references that basically incorporate the definitions that are used in HRS section 27-8. And that uh language is in our testimony. Thank you. >> Thank you. Kisayashi, Department of Education, >> Chair Kim, Vice Chair Keani, Senator Deort, Shantima testify on behalf of the Department of Education. The department stands on his written testimony in support of this measure. We're currently working with big distributors instead of having smaller direct contracts, which makes it challenging for us to uh purchase more local products.
So with the regional kitchen kitchen model launching in 2027, we plan to have more contracts directly with producers. So this measure will help us greatly in being able to purchase more local products. We stand by for questions. Thank you. >> Thank you. Bonnie Kakoy. >> Good afternoon, chair, vice chair, vice chair, members of the committee. Bonnie Kakoy, administrator, state procurement office will stand by your written testimony providing comments. >> Thank you very much. And we've had four others testifying in support. Anyone else here wishing to testify on this measure?
Hearing none. Um Sean, can you come back up? Question. So we've had this conversation before in other measures how you have a master so a master vendor who then goes out and and buys food from different entities. And I've been told that a lot of local vendors because their cost is slightly higher that the master vendor just don't don't go don't buy food buy from them and and they've been trying for years some of our local vendors who have been in the business for a long time and they still can't get their their their goods into our schools. So, how how do we resolve this? Is this going to resolve that? >> This will definitely help. And one thing that we're doing uh regardless of this bill for next year is we're going to list give you an example of like cucumber. So right now it's not really in the best interest of the distributor to purchase the local cucumber because it's more expensive for them.
Uh whereas we have a set price for the cucumber. So, what we're planning to do for next year is have the same item listed for the local price and the non-local price so that we can choose to purchase the local one if we choose to. >> Okay. So, that's going to be across the board to do that for all the small vendors, the small local vendors that we want to. >> So, it won't be vendor specific, but it'll have the item with two different prices for a local price and then a non-local price. That way it'll be our our our decision to purchase a local item. >> And it says here, expend up to 5% more. 5%. That's not a lot, right? >> It isn't, but it'll help. >> Yeah. But if it isn't, how is it going to help that one vendor if it isn't, right?
I mean, so are we being realistic? Is that is a cost for our local local farmers and local vendors difference from the mainland stuff only 5% defense? >> So there's there's two parts to this. One is we can spend up to 250,000 or if it's 5% we can do more than that. So but like you said 5% will help um but it won't help help in every item though. >> Okay. Any other questions? >> Yeah. Where is the department at with their uh 30% locally sourced food >> currently? So, over the past few years, we've been at about 6% and then we're down to five. We're back up to six. Uh currently, we're at eight. >> Where do you project the department landing in the year 2030? >> We're striving to get to 30% by 2030. We would have been we're actually at 8% right now, which is not close to 30, but it is the highest we've been.
Uh we would have been higher, but unfortunately there was a drought that affected local beefs and some other local products weren't available to us. >> But the I know that there's been efforts with uh Ulu, those kinds of things. Where are you folks at with that? So we piloted uh with several products, local beef, um sweet potato, bok choy, and kabota. Uh fortunately with that, again, a lot of it was the availability of the products. So some of those weren't readily available to us, but we're continuing to try to pilot with different products. So we have one going out right now. We're working on po right now, and our next target is is local cucumber. So is it the funding that's not available or it's the products that's are you guys short in funding or are you guys short in product? >> Yeah, it's not a funding issue.
It's more of a product issue. >> So I think with uh the big project of the regional kitchen and there's a it's a multi- agency effort to build up local agriculture to be able to support the regional kitchen. I think we're looking at the launch of the regional kitchen model to produce a spike in locally sourced products. Okay. Okay. Thank you. I'm I'm hoping that we can support these measures that will continue to keep the food locally grown here and purchased here. >> Absolutely. >> Yeah. So, thank you. >> Thank you. Any other questions? Not. Thank you, Sean. Okay. We are on the last item for this agenda because we do have another one which is there's a joint. Um Senate Bill 2615. This is uh cafeteria meals uh relating school cafeteria meals cost requires department of education to charge not less than one quarter of the cost of preparing school meals for each school meal and we have uh department of education Sean that's you >> chair vice chair senator decor shantima the department stands on it written testimony in support of this measure lowering the statutory cost recovery requirement from 50% to 25% will allow us not to mandate a price increase for families.
Currently, student payments are at 28% of meal production costs, which would be in compliance should this measure be adopted. Stand by for questions. Thank you. Okay. >> Thank you. Um, no one else signed up for testified. We did have two others in support. Anyone else wishing to testify on this measure? Okay.
Hearing none, members, any questions? Senator, >> thanks. Uh, how much is the meals costing right now? Um, and then how much of that? So, so three questions. How much is it costing per meal? And then how much is the overall funding and how much of that are you guys getting federal funding for? >> So cost per meal is 905. Sorry, what was your other question? >> Uh, and then how much is is the entire >> all of the meals? All of the food. >> Cost of food. Yeah, >> it's um total cost of meals >> approximate is fine. And then my next question was um how much of that are you guys getting federal funding for? Okay, >> so total cost of the meals um >> 179 million. So that includes the food and labor and equipment. >> Okay. >> And then federal reimbursements. >> Yeah.
Any idea? >> Yeah. Um >> it's about 60%. >> Okay. And then one question chair um or comment. Uh some of the parents in my school primarily the elementary schools are complaining that they're not able to eat meals with their students. I mean, sorry, with their children, especially the kindergarteners, the ones that are maybe going to school for the first time. Parents are concerned that maybe they're not eating all their food or maybe they're having trouble opening the milk carton. Uh, and parents in my district were told that they're not able to sit in the cafeteria with their child because of federal funding. Is that >> I don't know if that I don't think that has to do anything with federal funding. Okay. >> I think that's more of an op operational issue. >> What would that what would that issue be? Because I mean when my kids were going to school, I was still able to have breakfast with them, spend that time with them, walk them to their classroom.
So I think maybe for the preliminary uh grades such as like kindergarten or going to school for the first time I think that parental support would be helpful to the student. So operational cost is for I mean sorry operational purposes is for what reason? >> Um I think it's just for management of the cafeteria but I'll I'll take that concern back though. Yeah, I would like to know because uh this is what our parent was told and because of that the child really struggled her first year in school and so since then the parent has pulled him out of public school and now is homeschooling just because it was too much of a culture shock without any real transition to especially it was her first year >> kindergarten >> of kindergarten. Yeah. And so they wasn't they weren't sure if they were eating those kinds of things.
So, if it's not a federal um regulation, then I need to know that, too, cuz I have to go and talk to the principal about that. >> I don't believe it affects our federal reimbursement for that. >> Thank you. >> Maybe if you can let me know offline which school and we can follow up. >> I will. >> Thank you. Thank you, chair. >> Thank you very much. Do you know what other measures we are going to assess? call the committee on education back to order. We are in decision- making starting out with Senate Bill 62602 relating to the general fund of the University of Hawaii tuition special fees. The recommendation is to pass with amendments of technical and non-s substantive amendments for clarity and consistency.
Any discussion hearing? None. Uh, vice chair votes I'm sorry, chair votes eye. >> Chair votes eye. Oops. >> 2602 SD1. >> Vice chair votes eye. Kunaga excused. Senator Hashimoto excused. >> Hi. >> Measures adopted. Thank you. Senate bill 2658. This is the requires the border regions to expend funds to appropriate new and improve modernization um facilities and uh the recommendation is to amend with the AG statement. The bill is of statewide concern. Um I think that's the extent of the amendments. So pass with amendments. Senate bill 2658. Chair Volzai Vai vice chair. Senator Dort. >> Hi. is adopted. >> Okay. Senate bill 3229 relating to University of Hawaii. It authorizes the use of the tuition and special fees to conduct donor evaluations. Recommendation is to pass with technical and non-substantive amendments.
Any discussion hearing? None. Chair votes I. Vice chair votes I. Kaga and Ashimo excuse. Senator >> I adopted. >> Thank you. Senate Bill 2659 uh relating to the border regions prohibits active employees of the University of Hawaii and RC from serving on the border regions. Recommendation is to pass as is.
Any discussion hearing? None. Chair votes I >> chair votes I. Vice chair votes I. Senator >> I adopted. >> Thank you. Senate Bill 3325 relating to public school Medicaid reimbursements require Department of Education to establish an updated plan for maximizing the Medicaid reimbursements. Recommendation to pass with amendments uh technical non-s substantive also on page four line three reference to a special education section which does not exist within DOE. The correct reference may be the exceptional support branch of the office of student support services or the correct uh name.
Any discussion members? Hearing none. Chair votes eye. >> Chair votes eye. Vice chair votzai. Senator Dor. >> I adopted. >> Thank you. Uh relating to univers sorry Senate bill 3232. Uh relating to universal school meals establishing the universal school meals special fund to accept deposits of Medicaid reimbursements received by the department of education. Uh recommendation is to uh pass as is.
Any discussion? Yeah. Chair votes. >> Chair votes eye. Vice chair votes. Senator I adopted. >> Thank you. Senate bill 2551. Recommendation is to defer since this measure is the exact same as the next one coming up. Uh, Senate Bill 2875 relating to uh, education requires the Hawaii Teacher Standard Board to develop an alternative pathway for visiting international educator permit align with the duration of the educator's J1 visa program. Uh, recommendation is to pass as is.
Any discussion? Hearing none. Chair votes eye >> for 2875. Chair votes I vice chair. Senator Dori is adopted. >> Thank you. Senate bill 3334. The recommendation this is uh relating to the repeal of the complex area superintendent position. The recommendation is to pass with amendments. Uh there are number of amendments uh streamlining the layer of administration to state superintendent, district superintendent, school administration that provides more empowerment to the principles to personalize efforts for their school principles to report to district superintendent academy and district deputy superintendent. Each district will have one superintendent and one district deputy superintendent. Other staff positions can be established and there's a number members of um recommendations. The recommendation is that we're going to pass this on to Ways and Means and they will hold a public hearing so that the public can all testify to some of the changes that is being recommended uh into this SD1.
also um technical and non-s substantive amendments for clarity and consistency. Any discussion hearing? None. Uh chair votes I >> vice chair I senator court >> I adopted madam chair. >> Thank you. Uh, Senate Bill 2549 relating to student transportation authorizes Department of Education to hire a new contractor if a contractor under a student transportation contract fails to provide service on a contracted route for five or more consecutive construct instructional days. Recommendation is to pass with amendments. Uh, Senator Hashimoto has proposed amendments and add in the new section by the AG.
Any discussion hearing? None. Also technical and non-s substantive amendments. Um no discussion. Chair votes eye.ai. Vice chair votes I. Senator Dort >> I was adopted. >> Thank you. Senate bill 3063. This is uh Department of Education Procurement recommendation is to take the AG's amendment. Um yeah that's it. SD1 the AG amendments. Chair votes I. >> Chair holds eye. Vice chair holds eye. Senator Dort >> I measures adopted. >> And finally, Senate Bill 2615 relating to school cafeteria meal costs requires Department of Education to charge not less than one quarter of the cost of preparing a school meal. Recommendation is to pass as is.