STAND. COM. REP. NO.  231-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   H.B. No. 2226

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 2226 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF LANGUAGE ACCESS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Office of Language Access to establish three full-time equivalent permanent positions to assist state agencies and state-funded agencies in implementing the requirements of Hawaii's language access law.

The Office of Language Access, Office of Language Access Advisory Council, Hawaii Filipino Lawyers Association, and two individuals supported this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Making the amount appropriated to establish three full-time equivalent permanent positions within the Office of Language Access an unspecified amount; and

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2060, to encourage further discussion.

     Should the Committee on Finance deliberate this measure further, your Committee on Human Services respectfully requests that it consider appropriating $200,000 for the purpose of establishing three full-time equivalent permanent positions within the Office of Language Access.

     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 H.B. No. 2226, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2226, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Labor & Public Employment.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,

____________________________

DEE MORIKAWA, Chair