STAND. COM. REP. NO. 414-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 2107

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water & Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 2107 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATED TO DISASTER SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to establish a Limited English Proficiency Language Access Coordinator within the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Community Services of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; The Legal Clinic; Pacific Gateway Center; Hawaiʻi Friends of Civil Rights; National Alliance for Filipino Concerns; Hawaiʻi Coalition for Immigrant Rights; Roots Reborn Lahaina; Language Services Hawaii; Tagnawa; and numerous individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Office of Language Access.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii is one of the most culturally diverse states and had one of the highest proportions of non-English speakers in the nation. Your Committee further finds that in the aftermath of a natural or human-caused disaster, many limited English proficient persons encounter barriers to obtaining relief when applying for state or county services, including financial, medical, housing, and food assistance programs. This measure is intended to ensure all persons are able to access much needed state and county services in the aftermath of an emergency.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water & Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2107, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2107, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water & Land,

____________________________

LINDA ICHIYAMA, Chair