Bill Text: HI SCR11 | 2010 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: American Sign Language Interpreters; Legislative Reference Bureau. SD1

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-03-03 - (S) Report adopted, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM. [SCR11 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2010-SCR11-Amended.html

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STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2638

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.C.R. No. 11

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 11 entitled:

 

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING A STUDY ON THE AVAILABILITY OF AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to request a study to determine what barriers in law, rules, regulations, or policies exist to securing more American Sign Language (ASL) community interpreting hours and provide recommendations for change.

 

     Testimony is support of this measure was submitted by the Disability and Communication Access Board, University of Hawaii-Kapiolani Community College, and one individual.  Comments on this measure were submitted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.  Written testimony presented to the Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

 

     Your Committee finds that access to sign language interpreters is vital to those in the community who are deaf and hard-of-hearing.  Your Committee also finds that there is a lack of qualified individuals that are credentialed to work with deaf adults, and that a study would be an appropriate way to determine how to best address the shortage.

 

     Your Committee has made the following amendments to this measure:

     (1)  Clarifying that the study include a survey of current ASL interpreters working in Hawaii;

 

     (2)  Replacing the reference to "Purple Communications" with the company that has taken over their role, LifeLinks VRI; and

 

     (3)  Clarifying that this measure should be transmitted to the "President" of the Hawaii Registry of Interpreters rather than the "Administrator".

 

     Your Committee has also amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive stylistic changes for clarity and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 11, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 11, S.D. 1.

 

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

 

		____________________________ SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair