STAND. COM. REP. NO.  504

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

 

RE:   H.B. No. 266

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 266 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LANGUAGE ACCESS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to enhance language access in Hawaii for those individuals whose primary language is not English.  Specifically, this bill:

 

     (1)  Requires the Office of Language Access, in collaboration with other state agencies, to implement a Multilingual Website Pilot Project that will improve language access to information provided online for limited English proficient persons seeking information about government and government-funded services in the State of Hawaii;

 

     (2)  Requires the Executive Director of the Office of Language Access to administer a Statewide Language Access Resource Center that will address the interpretation and translation needs of the state; and

 

     (3)  Provides appropriations for the Statewide Language Access Resource Center and the Multilingual Website pilot project. 


 

     The Hawaii Public Housing Authority, Department of Human Resources Development, Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, Catholic Charities Hawaii, Congress of Visayan Organizations, and a few concerned individuals testified in support of this bill.  The Office of Language Access and Hawaii Interpreter Action Network testified in support with amendments.  The Department of Health and the Office of Information Management and Technology provided comments.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Clarifying that the roster of available language interpreters and translators maintained by a Statewide Language Access Resource Center list any of the qualifications and credentials of interpreters or translators;

 

     (2)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

 

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 266, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 266, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair