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As we emerge from this pandemic it is truly disheartening to see lawmakers fail to seize opportunities to prioritize health and restore public trust.

More than 1,300 of our residents have died of Covid-19. Many had an underlying chronic condition, such as Type II diabetes, hypertension or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder.

Particularly hard hit were our Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Filipino communities. We saw dramatic increases in food insecurity, including one in four keiki. Despite this grim reality, lawmakers passed on several opportunities to prioritize preventive health.

The legislature dropped three bills with broad public support: 1) Farm to Food Bank ( and ), 2) Safe Routes to School (), and 3) Sugar Sweetened Beverage Fee ().

The “Farm to Food Bank” program proposed state funding for food banks to purchase Hawaii-grown foods. Farmers would get fair market prices, and families in need would have access to fresh, nutritious, local food.

During the pandemic, the excruciating delay in processing applications for unemployment and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits caused residents to turn to emergency food distributions. Lines were frequently hours long.

Before Covid the Maui Food Bank served approximately 10,000 food-insecure people per month. This included families, kids, the “working poor,” seniors on fixed incomes, houseless individuals, and anyone at risk of going hungry, including the rural communities of Hana, Molokai and Lanai. During 2020, the number of people served per month rose to 50,000 and the amount of food distributed exceeded 500,000 pounds per month at several sites.

Before Covid the Maui Food Bank served approximately 10,000 food-insecure people per month.

“I was unaware of how challenging it was for the Maui Food Bank to meet these needs and how much they had to pivot in their efforts to serve our increasingly food insecure population. As board members of the Maui County Healthy Eating + Active Living (HEAL) Coalition, we were fortunate to have a first-hand look into the support the Food Bank needed,” says Suzanne Fields.

The Maui County administration allocated emergency funds to form the to purchase locally grown produce to be delivered to the partner agencies/distribution sites of the Maui Food Bank and other emergency food organizations. This was made possible through a partnership with the Hawaii Farmers Union United and Maui County Farm Bureau.

FPPP was able to significantly improve food access for our most vulnerable community members, while supporting local farmers who had lost their contracts with restaurants and hotels. Residents were able to receive fresh local produce.

This program created equity, expanded access to local nutritious food, and supported food producers who would have otherwise lost their livelihoods. As we have gone back to “normal” there has been little to no investment from state and county governments to support this critical work.

By choosing to not hear this bill lawmakers failed to hear the voices of those dependent on emergency food assistance. Access to nutritious, locally grown food that costs more will revert to pre-pandemic levels for our food-insecure community. Supporting Farm to Food Bank efforts also helps to build the infrastructure for future emergencies.

“After the past two years, to see legislators not seriously consider the importance of food security and the value of having access to locally grown, healthy and nutritious food for all members of the community is beyond comprehension,” said one HEAL Coalition member.

Ensuring Child Safety

The Safe Routes to School programs aims to ensure every child in Hawaii is able to safely walk, roll, bike or bus to school. These programs are good for health and the environment. There are thousands of federal and state dollars dedicated to support SRTS projects, yet much of it remains unspent. Why?

These projects are driven by community volunteers — parents, students, school staff, and neighbors. Funding came through the SRTS special fund that drew from traffic moving violation fines.

Last year the Legislature changed the funding mechanism. Communities were left confused about how to access the funding they relied on. While trying to navigate the new process, SRTS advocates tried to both fix and improve a broken system. SB 2544 was part of a larger effort to improve collaboration across state agencies, counties, and the community, and increase accountability through a strategic plan and measurable goals.

Safe Routes to School is an investment in our keiki. But our lawmakers weren’t interested.

Reducing Sugar Consumption

They weren’t interested in SB 2211 either. The bill proposed a measure that had worked elsewhere that would help reduce excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages through a $0.02 per ounce fee levied on distributors, and passed on to consumers.

Some of the revenues generated would have gone to a Healthy Ohana Special Fund for programs to reduce Type II diabetes, heart disease, and cancers, conditions that can cause severe Covid-19 and other health complications.

Lawmakers need to act now.

A 2021 poll showed that 78% of registered Hawaii voters support a fee on sweetened drinks if the revenue generated is used to fund health programs. Other municipalities have used SSB revenues to provide fresh produce and dental care for low-income communities, and to operate nutrition education, and job readiness training programs.

For two years the Capitol was closed to the public — though not to lobbyists. Recently we learned how two prominent lawmakers accepted bribes to kill bills at the bidding of some companies. Yet the voices of the people struggle to be heard.

There will be other pandemics. Lawmakers need to act now, not only so that we can be more resilient, but also to restore badly damaged trust in the legislative process. Hearing bills that have broad public support should not be too much to expect of our elected officials. It’s the least they can do.