STAND. COM. REP. NO. 982-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: H.B. No. 1762

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 1762, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LANGUAGE ACCESS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Office of Language Access to submit an annual report to the Governor and Legislature regarding state agencies' and covered entities' compliance with language access laws, complaints of noncompliance with language access laws, resolution of such complaints, and recommendations to enhance and promote language access; and

(2) Appropriate funds to establish Limited English Proficiency Language Coordinator positions to work with all state agencies to ensure compliance with all state and federal language access laws.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Office of Community Services, The Legal Clinic, Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, Hawaii Children's Action Network Speaks!, Common Cause Hawaii, Hawai‘i Friends of Civil Rights, Hawai‘i Coalition for Immigrant Rights, Hawai‘i Public Health Institute, and two individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance, Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency, and Office of Language Access.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1762, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair