Bill Text: HI HB266 | 2013 | Regular Session | Amended


Bill Title: Statewide Language Access Resource Center; Multilingual Website Pilot Project; Appropriations ($)

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-3)

Status: (Passed) 2013-07-02 - Act 217, 6/27/2013 (Gov. Msg. No. 1320). [HB266 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2013-HB266-Amended.html

 

 

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 998

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 266

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 266, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

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

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish and provide appropriations for a statewide language access resource center and multilingual website pilot project to be administered by the Office of Language Access.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Resources Development, Hawaii Public Housing Authority, Office of Language Access, Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, Office of Language Access Advisory Committee, American Translators Association, Catholic Charities Hawaii, Congress of Visayan Organizations, Hawaii Filipino Lawyers Association, and fourteen individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Office of Information Management and Technology.

 

     Your Committee finds that despite the inception of Hawaii's language access law and the Office of Language Access, there are still major challenges in Hawaii regarding agency compliance, such as the lack of a comprehensive and centralized system or structure in Hawaii to identify qualified language interpreters and translators and the lack of multilingual websites that can help limited English proficient persons access needed information from state agencies in their native language.  Ironically, Hawaii has a dearth of competent language interpreters and translators available to assist limited English proficient individuals.

 

     Your Committee further finds that a language access resource center will benefit agencies, interpreters, translators, and the limited English proficient population alike since it addresses the problem of supply and demand of interpreters and translators, increases and improves the number and quality of language service providers, and provides Hawaii's limited English proficient population a better means to access state and state-funded services.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Clarifying that the targeted limited English proficient groups for the multilingual website are the twelve largest limited English proficient groups in the State;

 

     (2)  Inserting language to specify that the multilingual website pilot project shall end on June 30, 2017;

 

     (3)  Inserting language to specify that the Office of Language Access shall submit a report regarding the multilingual website pilot project to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the 2017 Regular Session;

 

     (4)  Clarifying the mandate to hire bilingual staff;

 

     (5)  Inserting language to require that the multilingual website pilot project be developed in consultation with the Office of Information Management and Technology;

 

     (6)  Inserting an appropriation amount of $400,000 for fiscal year 2013-2014 and adding an appropriation of $400,000 for fiscal year 2014-2015 for the establishment of the statewide language access resource center within the Office of Language Access;

 

     (7)  Inserting an appropriation amount of $190,000 for fiscal year 2013-2014 and adding an appropriation of $190,000 for fiscal year 2014-2015 for the establishment of a multilingual website pilot project; and

 

     (8)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

 

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

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,

 

 

 

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

 

 

 

 

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