More Hawaiʻi students will have access to free meals starting next school year in August — a possible first step toward free meals for all students.
Gov. Josh Green signed Senate Bill 1300 into law on Friday, making public school students who currently qualify for reduced-price lunch eligible for free meals.
In the following 2026-2027 school year, that coverage will expand to students in households with incomes up to 300% of the federal poverty level, which is an annual household income of about $111,000 for a family of four living in Hawaiʻi, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The ceremony at Washington Place included a handful of other student-focused bills signed into law, but First Lady Jaime Green held back tears as she took note of SB 1300 specifically, as well as the need to feed local kids.
“It is so important to make sure that our kids are fed and not going hungry. We know through COVID that a lot of our children and families receive their meals from school, and we saw the real need. And now, even though COVID is over, we are struggling. Our families are struggling,” she said.
State lawmakers set aside $3.3 million to fund SB 1300 over the next two years.
Advocates of the bill have said the measure is a legislative stepping stone to providing universal free school meals, an effort that’s been held up at the state Capitol for years.
But support for expanded access appears to be building.
In recent years, proposals to expand free school meals hit a wall in the Senate Committee on Education, where those measures tend to die because of the reported cost and logistical difficulties with implementation.
But committee chair Sen. Michelle Kidani was among those present at Friday’s bill signing ceremony and in support of free school meals. She said she and her siblings relied on free lunch programs when they were in school.
“This bill is not just about food, it's about dignity, equity, and giving every child the chance to succeed. No child should ever have to sit in the classroom wondering when and if they will get a next meal,” Kidani said.
Green announced that SB 1300 is part of a five-year plan to offer universal free school meals in Hawaiʻi. The governor’s office said there is no detailed five-year plan, but that the timeline is more of a “general goal.”
“We're hopeful that we will get to universal school meals for every public school child. No forms, no qualifications, no stigma — just good nutritious food so that our children can really thrive as they go through our school doors. That's where our keiki deserve,” Green said at the ceremony.
