STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1894

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.C.R. No. 155

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor & Government Operations, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 155 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE HAWAI‘I TOBACCO QUITLINE TO MAKE PERMANENTLY VISIBLE ON EACH PAGE OF ITS WEBSITE INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THE AVAILABILITY OF TRANSLATION SERVICES UPON REQUEST,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the Hawai'i Tobacco Quitline to make permanently visible on each page of its website information pertaining to the availability of translation services upon request.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health and the Office of Language Access.

Your Committee finds that the Hawaiian islands are home to a large number of immigrants and their children, many of whom speak languages other than English or Spanish. Your Committee further finds that making information about the availability of interpretation services permanently visible on the Hawai‘i Tobacco Hotline's website and accessible in Ilocano, Tagalog, Japanese, Korean, Cantonese, Mandarin, and ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i will benefit the many ethnic groups residing in the State.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the language services being requested are interpretation services, rather than translation services; and

(2) Requesting that the Hawaii Tobacco Quitline consider providing hyperlinks to translated notices of availability of free interpretation services in a conspicuous location of each page of its website.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor & Government Operations that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 155, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 155, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor & Government Operations,

____________________________

SCOT Z. MATAYOSHI, Chair