(a) Each state agency and all covered entities shall take reasonable steps to ensure meaningful access to services, programs, and activities by limited English proficient persons, which will be determined by a totality of circumstances, including the following factors:

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Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 321C-3

  • Covered entity: means a person or organization receiving state financial assistance, including grants, purchase-of-service contracts, or any other arrangement by which the State provides or otherwise makes available assistance in the form of funds to the person or organization for the purpose of rendering services to the public. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 321C-2
  • Language: means human speech or the expression of ideas by written characters and includes systems used by nations, people, or other distinct communities. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 321C-2
  • state agency: means the executive, legislative, or judicial branches of state government, including departments, offices, commissions, boards, or other agencies within the executive, legislative, or judicial branches. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 321C-2
  • Vital documents: means printed documents that provide important information necessary to access or participate in services, programs, and activities of a state agency or covered entity, including but not limited to applications, outreach materials, and written notices of rights, denials, losses, or decreases in benefits or services. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 321C-2
(1) The number or proportion of limited English proficient persons served or encountered in the eligible service population;
(2) The frequency with which limited English proficient persons come in contact with the services, programs, or activities;
(3) The nature and importance of the services, programs, or activities; and
(4) The resources available to the State or covered entity and the costs.
(b) Subject to subsection (a), each state agency and covered entity shall provide competent, timely oral language services to limited English proficient persons who seek to access services, programs, or activities.
(c) Subject to subsection (a), each state agency and covered entity shall provide written translations of vital documents to limited English proficient persons who seek to access services, programs, or activities, as follows:

(1) Written translations of vital documents for each eligible limited English proficient group that constitutes five per cent or one thousand, whichever is less, of the population of persons eligible to be served or likely to be affected or encountered; or
(2) If there are fewer than fifty persons in a limited English proficient group that reaches the five per cent threshold in paragraph (1), written notice in the primary language to the limited English proficient language group of the right to receive competent oral interpretation of those written materials, free of cost.
(d) To the extent that the State requires additional personnel to provide language services based on the determination set forth in this section, the State shall hire qualified personnel who are bilingual to fill existing, budgeted vacant public contact positions.

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