STAND. COM. REP. NO. 831-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 2622

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 2622, 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 appropriate funds to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to meet the language access needs of residents with limited English proficiency and expand access to bilingual resources and services.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the State Health Planning and Development Agency; Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency; Hawaiʻi Civil Rights Commission; The Legal Clinic; Pacific Gateway Center; Waipahu Safe Haven Immigrant/Migrant Resource Center; Roots Reborn; Hawaiʻi Coalition for Immigrant Rights; and numerous individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from one individual.

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. 2622, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

____________________________

CHRIS TODD, Chair