PROVIDENCE — Governor Carcieri yesterday defended his cutting of four state interpreter jobs earlier this month against criticism by the American Civil Liberties Union that his actions may put the Rhode Island Department of Human Services at risk of violating a 1997 consent agreement between that agency and the federal government.

Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island Affiliate, ACLU, also said his agency is considering filing a formal discrimination complaint with the federal Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights, with which the state signed the consent agreement.

Carcieri responded to a front-page article in The Journal yesterday about the ACLU’s criticisms, with a statement affirming that the DHS “is fully in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and with a 1997 agreement requiring that the state make available language interpretation services for those seeking welfare and other benefits.”

Through his spokesman, Jeff Neal, the governor said he is confident that the DHS “will continue to provide access to the appropriate language interpretation services” as required by federal law and the 1997 consent agreement, and called it “irresponsible” of the ACLU to suggest otherwise.

The 1997 consent agreement came in the face of eight civil rights complaints brought under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. That anti-discrimination law requires recipients of federal funding, such as hospitals, courts and other government agencies, to provide free interpreter services to people of limited English proficiency.

It requires, in part, that the state schedule interpreters or bilingual staff when necessary to communicate with clients with limited English-speaking ability, and to inform clients they are not required to bring their own interpreters. The DHS must base its level of interpreter staff and services on client demographics, and in consultation with community groups. It must conduct periodic reviews.

Of the four interpreters who received layoff notices, two are Cambodian, one is Hmong and one Portuguese. The state has retained all of its Spanish-language interpreters, as well as one Portuguese interpreter, and 12 other contract employees who routinely perform similar services.

The four interpreters who received layoff notices were among 17 who specifically work for the DHS.

Neal said the issue was examined in depth, as the state prepared to reduce the size of its work force. That analysis convinced the governor that he could reduce the number of language interpreters, particularly those translating less commonly encountered languages, “while continuing to provide the appropriate translation options through existing contracts with outside language interpretation services.”

Carcieri said it made “economic and logistical sense” for the state to retain Spanish-speaking interpreters because Spanish is the most commonly used foreign language by people seeking DHS services. He said the same could not be said “for much less commonly encountered foreign languages such as Hmong and Cambodian.”

The governor did not address Brown’s criticism of Carcieri’s comments in October on WHJJ radio’s Helen Glover Show, one month before he announced the layoffs. The comments prompted calls of retraction and apology by a host of community groups.

On the show, Carcieri said in part, “Why are we, at taxpayer expense, providing interpreters for people who want benefits from us?” He noted that when his own relatives arrived from Italy and needed interpreting assistance, “they got somebody, a friend or relative who spoke English, right? So why in God’s name [are] we providing, at taxpayer expense, staff whose sole job is to interpret English for people who apparently have no friend and no relative that can speak English. I don’t think we should be doing that.”

Brown said yesterday that the ACLU “will be continuing to investigate the matter and will take whatever action seems most appropriate after our review is completed.”

kziner@projo.com