STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1428

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    GOV. MSG. NOS. 344, 345, 353, 354

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Government Operations, to which was referred Governor's Message Nos. 344, 345, 353, and 354, submitting for study and consideration the nominations of: 

 

Language Access Advisory Council

 

G.M. No. 344

LITO M. ASUNCION,

for a term to expire 6-30-2012;

 

G.M. No. 345

MARCELLA ALOHALANI BOIDO,

for a term to expire 6-30-2013;

 

G.M. No. 353

MAUREEN N. RAWLINS,

for a term to expire 6-30-2013; and

 

G.M. No. 354

MARY F. SANTA MARIA MS, MPH,

for a term to expire 6-30-2012,

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of each of the nominees.  Written testimony presented to the Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

 

     Lito M. Asuncion is currently a Program Planner with the Hawaii County Office of Aging.  Previously, he was an Immigration Information Specialist with the Hawaii County Office of Management, and a Program Evaluator/Trainer with the Hawaii/American Samoa Bilingual Education Support Center.  The nominee received Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in Sociology, and a Master of Public Health in Gerontology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  Mr. Asuncion is a member of several cultural community service and professional organizations.  He is currently a member of the Language Access Advisory Council.

 

     Mr. Asuncion is an active and well-known leader in the Filipino community on the Big Island.  He has extensive experience and expertise in dealing with people of varied languages and cultures.

 

     Marcella Alohalani Boido is currently a court-appointed interpreter for federal and state court, and has also worked for several federal agencies.  Ms. Boido has also worked as a legal translator for the Office of the United States Attorney.  The nominee received Masters and Bachelors of Arts degrees in political science from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and was a doctoral student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa from 1985 to 1992,  Ms. Boido has passed the Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AOUSC) Spanish/English interpreter certification examination, and the California Spanish/English court interpreter certification examination, as well as completed the Hawaii State Judiciary Court Interpreter Orientation Workshop.  She also has experience teaching English as a second language and modern Hawaiian history.  Ms. Boido is a member of several cultural community service and professional organizations, and has served on the Hawaii Supreme Court Committee on Certification of Court Interpreters.

 

Ms. Boido currently serves on the Language Access Advisory Council.  She is the incoming president of the Hawaii Interpreter Action Network which has recommended her to represent them on the Council.  The nominee has long been recognized among interpreters, both in Hawaii and nationally, for her expertise on interpreter issues.

 

     Maureen N. Rawlins is currently the Director of Aha Punana Leo, a Hawaiian Language College Adjunct Assistant Professor and Chairperson of the Native Hawaiian Education Council.  The nominee received a Bachelor's degree in Hawaiian Studies and is a candidate for a Masters' degree.  She served as the Chairperson of the Native Hawaiian Education Council in 2007.  Ms. Rawlins currently serves on the Language Access Advisory Council.

 

     Aha Punana Leo, of which Ms. Rawlins serves as Director, is a non-profit organization devoted to the preservation and propagation of the Hawaiian language and culture.  This is the oldest statewide native organization in the United States that provides education through the Language Nests and Language Survival School model.  Ms. Rawlins has been actively involved in the promotion and preservation of the Hawaiian language for over twenty years.

 

     Mary F. Santa Maria MS, MPH, is currently a Public Health Educator IV with the Department of Health.  She received a Bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin, a Master's degree from Texas A&I University, and Master's in Public Health degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  The nominee has experience in conducting trainings, workshops, and presentations on health issues, including training Department of Health employees on the use of interpreting services.

 

     Ms. Santa Maria is involved with language access, medical interpreting training, and health services access for Limited English Proficiency persons at various community and state agencies.

 

     Your Committee believes that the nominees have the appropriate attitude, commitment, sincerity, and dedication that are necessary for public service.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Government Operations that are attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominees, has found the nominees to be qualified for the positions to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nominations.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Government Operations,

 

 

 

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair