Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 2681 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Human Services for hiring two temporary, part-time Micronesian language interpreters.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the measure from the Hawaii Primary Care Association. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to the measure from the Department of Human Services.

Your Committee finds that this measure will assist the Department of Human Services with providing effective services to all of its clients, including its non-English speaking constituents.

Your Committee has amended this measure by broadening the scope of the measure to fund contracts with interpreters for a range of languages, rather than for only the Micronesian language.

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 S.B. No. 2681, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2681, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.