Bill Text: HI SB926 | 2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Office of Language Access; Appropriation; Language Access Law ($)
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-02-10 - Report adopted; Passed Second Reading and referred to WAM. [SB926 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2015-SB926-Introduced.html
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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
926 |
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TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF LANGUAGE ACCESS.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the office of language access was established by Act 290, Session Laws of Hawaii 2006, and amended by Act 201, Session Laws of Hawaii 2012, to provide oversight, central coordination, and technical assistance to twenty-six state agencies and approximately one hundred fifty state-funded agencies in implementing the requirements of Hawaii's language access law.
The office of language access has a statutory mandate to ensure that state and state-funded agencies are in compliance with Hawaii's language access law. The office of language access provides technical assistance to agencies in the form of needs assessments, assistance with language access plans, training of agency staff, work with interpreters and translators, and data collection and reporting. The office of language access also conducts periodic compliance monitoring, provides complaint resolution, and reports annually to the governor and legislature. The office's staff was cut to a single position in 2009 due to the State's reduction in force. Although two of the six positions were restored in 2013, critical staff positions remain unfilled.
The legislature further finds that Act 217, Session Laws of Hawaii 2013, created the language access resource center within the office of language access. The delay and timing of the executive branch's release of funds to staff the language access resource center made it impossible to fill the positions established by Act 217.
The objectives of the language access resource center are laudable, but require a tremendous amount of planning, coordination, and management. The existing office of language access staff expended great efforts and manpower to get the language access resource center off the ground – work which was envisioned to fall on the desks of the new language access resource center staff, who have yet to be hired.
As a result, the office of language access has not been able to fully perform its original statutorily-mandated compliance and technical assistance functions. Accordingly, many state agencies have been unable to implement important aspects of their language access plans due to lack of oversight and technical assistance and many limited English proficient individuals in Hawaii continue to lack meaningful access to government services, programs, and activities.
The purpose of this Act is to establish three positions within the office of language access, as originally envisioned in the office's implementing legislation, to assist state agencies and state-funded agencies in implementing the requirements of Hawaii's language access law.
SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $200,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2015-2016 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2016-2017 to establish three full-time equivalent (3.0 FTE) positions comprised of two program specialists and one office assistant within the office of language access to assist state agencies and state-funded agencies in implementing the requirements of Hawaii's language access law.
The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this Act.
SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2015.
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INTRODUCED BY: |
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Report Title:
Office of Language Access; Appropriation; Language Access Law
Description:
Establishes three positions within the office of language access to assist state agencies and state-funded agencies in implementing the requirements of Hawaii's language access law.
The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
