STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2099

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2285

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 S.B. No. 2285 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, Hawaii Filipino Lawyers Association, and two individuals.

     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 S.B. No. 2285 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,

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ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair