HI HB1235

Authorizes health care providers, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and faith-based organizations to distribute supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) applications to prospective applicants.

Addresses Hawaii's low SNAP participation rate, noting that in fiscal year 2019, 157,000 residents (roughly one in nine) participated despite the state receiving over $448 million annually in SNAP funding.

Notes that a 2017 U.S. Department of Agriculture report ranked Hawaii twenty-seventh among states in the percentage of eligible individuals participating in SNAP.

Cites economic benefits of increased SNAP participation, with Moody's Analytics estimating that every dollar in SNAP funds generates $1.70 in local economic activity.

Takes effect upon approval.