HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	1740
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII		S.D. 2

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO LANGUAGE ACCESS.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 

     SECTION 1.  In 2013, the legislature passed H.B. No. 266, C.D. 1, enacted as Act 217, Session Laws of Hawaii 2013, which further strengthened implementation of the State's language access laws.  The Act created a statewide language access resource center under the office of language access to serve as a centralized resource to meet the specific needs of government agencies and state-funded entities to comply with the State's language access laws and to benefit the general public.

     Among its other functions, the statewide language access resource center must maintain a publicly-available roster of language interpreters and translators, train state and state-funded agencies on how to effectively obtain and use the services of language interpreters and translators, and support the recruitment and retention of language interpreters and translators who provide services to these agencies.  Act 217, Session Laws of Hawaii 2013, also requires the executive director of the office of language access, in consultation with the office of information management and technology, to develop a multilingual website pilot project.  The legislature finds that continued and appropriate funding of the statewide language access resource center and the multilingual website pilot project is essential to their effective implementation and provision of services to the general public.

     The purpose of this Act is to amend the appropriation amounts for fiscal year 2014-2015 contained in Act 217, Session Laws of Hawaii 2013, for the establishment of the statewide language access resource center and the establishment of the multilingual website pilot project.

     SECTION 2.  Act 217, Session Laws of Hawaii 2013, is amended by amending sections 6 and 7 to read as follows:

     "SECTION 6.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $170,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2013-2014 and the [same] sum of $           or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2014-2015 to establish a statewide language access resource center within the office of language access to allow state agencies and covered entities to provide interpretation and translation services to limited English proficient individuals in accordance with Hawaii's language access laws.

     The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this Act.

     SECTION 7.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $80,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2013-2014 and the [same] sum of $           or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2014-2015 to establish a multilingual website pilot project to enable limited English proficient individuals to obtain information about government services in their own language.

     The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this Act."

     SECTION 3.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2050.

 

 

Report Title:

Statewide Language Access Resource Center; Multilingual Website Pilot Project; Appropriations

 

Description:

Appropriates unspecified sums as provided in Act 217, Session Laws of Hawaii 2013, for fiscal year 2014-2015 for establishment of the statewide language access resource center and establishment of the multilingual website pilot project administered by the Office of Language Access.  Effective 7/1/2050.  (SD2)

 

 

 

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