STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2938

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2782

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2782, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATED TO ELECTRONIC INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to remove language barriers and improve language accessibility in state information technology systems.

Specifically, this measure:

(1) Requires the Office of Enterprise Technology Services to develop multilingual accessibility standards in consultation with the Office of Language and Access; and

(2) Appropriates moneys to establish one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) permanent program manager position.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services, Office of Language Access, Office of Enterprise Technology Services, Hawaii Friends of Civil Rights, Hawaii Children's Action Network Speaks!, The Legal Clinic, Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights, Hawaii Alliance for Progressive Action, Kaibigan ng Lahaina, and seven individuals.

Your Committee finds that providing equal access to state services and information for individuals with limited English proficiency upholds fundamental fairness principles and fosters economic growth. Your Committee further finds that ensuring compliance with multilingual accessibility standards will help to avoid costly miscommunications, legal disputes, and inefficiencies.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Codifying the Office of Enterprise Technology Services' responsibility to create multilingual accessibility standards in a new section of Chapter 27, Hawaii Revised Statutes, rather than in section 27-43, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

(2) Correcting references to the Office of Enterprise Technology Services;

(3) Clarifying the definition of the terms "access" and "accessibility";

(4) Deleting the definition of a term that is not used within the measure; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2782, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2782, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair