SB 642 Summary

• Designates English and Hawaiian as official languages of Hawaii, incorporating Article 13 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples into state law

• Requires Hawaiian version of a law to be held binding if the law was originally drafted in Hawaiian and the English version was translated from it

• Mandates state and county agencies provide Hawaiian language speakers with equal access to government services, including competent oral interpretation and written translations of vital documents

• Requires use of ʻokina (glottal stops) and kahakō (macrons) in Hawaiian language documents prepared by state or county agencies, except for documents submitted by the general public

• Establishes "Hawaiian language speaker" as a protected class for language access services comparable to limited English proficient persons, effective upon approval