STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2895

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 2227

       H.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 2227, H.D. 2, 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 appropriate funds to continue the operations of the Statewide Language Access Resource Center and multilingual website pilot project within the Office of Language Access.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Language Access; Office of Language Access Advisory Council; American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii; Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness Research and Training; Faith Action for Community Equity; Filipino American Citizens League; Hawaii Friends of Civil Rights; National Federation of Filipino American Associations, Region 12; Nursing Advocates and Mentors, Inc.; Hawaii Filipino Lawyers Association; Ethnic Education Foundation of Hawaii; Catholic Charities Hawaii; and one individual.

 

     Your Committee finds that the Statewide Language Access Resource Center and the multilingual website pilot project, established pursuant to Act 217, Session Laws of Hawaii 2013, provide meaningful access to important state and state-funded benefits and services to persons who have a limited ability to read, write, speak, or understand English.  While the establishment of the Statewide Language Access Resource Center and the multilingual website pilot project was undertaken by the Office of Language Access with advance preparation, the implementation of the pilot project was delayed due to unforeseen challenges associated with the transfer of the Office of Language Access from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to the Department of Health pursuant to Act 201, Session Laws of Hawaii 2012.

 

     Your Committee further finds that more funding is necessary to maintain and continue the services for limited English proficient individuals through the Statewide Language Access Resource Center and the multilingual website pilot project.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2227, H.D. 2, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health,

 

 

 

________________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair