HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1943

TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO LANGUAGE ACCESS.

 

 

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

 

     SECTION 1.  The legislature formerly recognized and acknowledged that language is a barrier for those living in Hawaii who have identified themselves as being limited in English proficiency.  Consequently, the legislature passed Act 90, Session Laws of Hawaii 2006, and amended Act 290 with the passage of Act 201, Session Laws of Hawaii 2012, to ensure that limited English proficient individuals have meaningful access to state-provided and state-funded services in Hawaii.  These Acts established the Hawaii office of language access to provide oversight, central coordination, and technical assistance to twenty-six state agencies and more than one hundred state-funded agencies in their implementation of the requirements of Hawaii's language access law.

     The technical assistance provided to agencies by the office of language access include needs assessments, assistance with language access plans, training of agency staff, work with interpreters and translators, data collection, reporting, and more.  The office of language access also conducts periodic compliance monitoring and provides complaint resolution.

     Furthermore, Act 217, Session Laws of Hawaii 2013, created the statewide language access resource center within the office of language access.  The objectives of the statewide language access resource center are laudable but require significant time and resources for planning, coordination, and management.  The current staff of the office of language access have been providing their time and expending a tremendous amount of resources to get the statewide language access resource center off the ground–work that was envisioned to be the responsibility of the staff of the statewide language access resource center.  However, staff for the statewide language access resource center have yet to be hired.

     As it currently stands, the office of language access is already understaffed and has been operating with only three authorized full-time equivalent positions since 2013.  As a result, the office of language access has not been able to fully perform its statutorily mandated compliance and technical assistance functions.  Accordingly, many state agencies have been unable to implement important aspects of their language access plans and many individuals limited in English proficiency in Hawaii continue to lack meaningful access to government services, programs, and activities.

     The purpose of this Act is to establish two permanent full-time equivalent positions within the office of language access to assist state agencies and state-funded agencies in implementing the requirements of Hawaii's language access law.

     SECTION 2.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $         or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2018-2019 for the establishment of two full-time equivalent (2.00 FTE) permanent program specialist positions within the office of language access to assist state agencies and state-funded agencies in implementing the requirements of Hawaii's language access law.

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

     SECTION 3.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 3000.

 

 

Report Title:

Office of Language Access; Program Specialist Positions; Appropriation

 

Description:

Appropriates funds for the establishment of two full-time equivalent (2.00 FTE) permanent program specialist positions within the office of language access to assist state agencies and state-funded agencies in implementing the requirements of Hawaii's language access law.  (HB1943 HD1)

 

 

 

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