Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Human Services and Housing and Higher Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 354 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to appropriate funds to various state agencies to address the shortage of qualified sign language interpreters.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by Kapiolani Community College, Hawaii Services on Deafness, Hawaii Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Gallaudet University Regional Center, and concerned citizens. Testimony in support of the intent of this measure was submitted by the Department of Human Services, University of Hawaii, and the Disability and Communication Access Board.

Your Committees recognize the need for more full-time interpreters to provide effective communication access to the community. Currently, there are only 11 full-time interpreters, all of them residing on Oahu. Further, there are a number of part-time interpreters who are unable to make a living full-time because the pay and benefits are substandard.

Your Committees also recognize that there is a demand for interpreters that currently cannot be met. This measure will target programs to retain and train effective interpreters, as well as attract more interpreters.

Your Committees have amended this bill by:

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Housing and Higher Education that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 354, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 354, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Legislative Management.