STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3486

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 63

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 63 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DISABILITY AND COMMUNICATION ACCESS BOARD TO STUDY THE HEALTH CARE SETTING COMMUNICATION NEEDS OF, AND DEVELOP GUIDELINES FOR, INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE DEAF, HARD OF HEARING, OR DEAF-BLIND,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Disability and Communication Access Board to study the communication needs of individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind in health care settings and make necessary revisions to the guidance for health care providers.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the State Health Planning and Development Agency, Hawaii Disability Rights Center, Aloha Independent Living Hawaii, and one individual.

Your Committee finds that effective communication in health care settings is essential for patients to make informed decisions, give consent, and stay safely in their homes and communities rather than in institutions. For deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind patients, lack of qualified interpreters and other auxiliary aids often leads to misunderstandings, delayed treatment, and discharge planning that ignores community-based options. Your Committee further finds that given the limited availability of qualified interpreters and the variety of required and preferred interpretation services, additional guidance is needed to assist health care providers in communicating effectively with deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind patients. This measure's study of the communication needs of deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind patients provides policy direction and identifies current resources and service gaps.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 63, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 63, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health and Human Services,

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JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair