S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4707
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 3, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. DINOWITZ -- read once and referred to the Commit-
   tee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend the public authorities law, the executive law and the
   state finance law, in relation to requiring the provision of telephone
   service in other languages

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The  public  authorities law is amended by adding two new
 sections 2858 and 2882 to read as follows:
   § 2858. TELEPHONE SERVICE LANGUAGES. 1. ANY PUBLIC AUTHORITY OR PUBLIC
 BENEFIT CORPORATION THAT DIRECTLY OPERATES A TELEPHONE ANSWERING SERVICE
 TO RESPOND TO INQUIRIES, QUESTIONS OR COMPLAINTS  MADE  BY  THE  GENERAL
 PUBLIC,  INCLUDING  THE  RESIDENTS  OF THE COUNTIES OF BRONX, KINGS, NEW
 YORK, QUEENS AND RICHMOND, SHALL ENSURE THAT SUCH SERVICE BE PROVIDED IN
 ENGLISH, CHINESE, FRENCH CREOLE, KOREAN, RUSSIAN AND SPANISH.
   2. (A) COMMENCING WITH CALENDAR  YEAR  TWO  THOUSAND  TWENTY-TWO,  AND
 EVERY  FIVE  YEARS  THEREAFTER,  ANY  PUBLIC AUTHORITY OR PUBLIC BENEFIT
 CORPORATION SUBJECT TO THE PROVISIONS OF SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION
 SHALL STUDY AND PERUSE THE MOST  RECENT  POPULATION  DATA  COMPILED  AND
 PUBLISHED  BY  THE  UNITED  STATES  CENSUS BUREAU TO DETERMINE WHETHER A
 LANGUAGE OTHER THAN THOSE LANGUAGES REFERRED TO IN  SUBDIVISION  ONE  OF
 THIS SECTION IS SPOKEN BY MORE THAN TWO PER CENT (2%) OF THE TOTAL RESI-
 DENTS  OF  THE  COUNTIES OF THE BRONX, KINGS, NEW YORK, QUEENS AND RICH-
 MOND.
   (B) IF IT IS DETERMINED THAT A LANGUAGE  OTHER  THAN  THOSE  LANGUAGES
 REFERRED  TO  IN  SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION IS SPOKEN BY MORE THAN
 TWO PER CENT (2%) OF THE TOTAL RESIDENTS OF THE COUNTIES OF  THE  BRONX,
 KINGS,  NEW YORK, QUEENS AND RICHMOND, THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY SHALL ENSURE
 THAT SUCH ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE IS PROVIDED TO THE RESIDENTS OF SUCH COUN-
 TIES AS REQUIRED BY SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07605-01-7
              

 A. 4707                             2
 
   § 2882. TELEPHONE SERVICE LANGUAGES. 1. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY  PROVISION
 OF  LAW  TO  THE  CONTRARY,  ALL  CONTRACTS, WITH A VALUE OF ONE MILLION
 DOLLARS OR MORE, MADE AND AWARDED BY  ANY  PUBLIC  AUTHORITY  OR  PUBLIC
 BENEFIT  CORPORATION TO OPERATE OR OTHERWISE PROVIDE A TELEPHONE ANSWER-
 ING SERVICE TO RESPOND TO INQUIRIES, QUESTIONS OR COMPLAINTS MADE BY THE
 GENERAL PUBLIC, INCLUDING THE RESIDENTS OF THE COUNTIES OF BRONX, KINGS,
 NEW  YORK,  QUEENS  AND  RICHMOND,  SHALL  REQUIRE  THAT SUCH SERVICE BE
 PROVIDED IN ENGLISH, CHINESE, FRENCH CREOLE, KOREAN, RUSSIAN  AND  SPAN-
 ISH.
   2.  (A)  COMMENCING  WITH  CALENDAR  YEAR TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-TWO, AND
 EVERY FIVE YEARS THEREAFTER, ANY  PUBLIC  AUTHORITY  OR  PUBLIC  BENEFIT
 CORPORATION SUBJECT TO THE PROVISIONS OF SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION
 SHALL  STUDY  AND  PERUSE  THE  MOST RECENT POPULATION DATA COMPILED AND
 PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED STATES CENSUS  BUREAU  TO  DETERMINE  WHETHER  A
 LANGUAGE  OTHER  THAN  THOSE LANGUAGES REFERRED TO IN SUBDIVISION ONE OF
 THIS SECTION IS SPOKEN BY MORE THAN TWO PER CENT (2%) OF THE TOTAL RESI-
 DENTS OF THE COUNTIES OF THE BRONX, KINGS, NEW YORK,  QUEENS  AND  RICH-
 MOND.
   (B)  IF  IT  IS  DETERMINED THAT A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN THOSE LANGUAGES
 REFERRED TO IN SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION IS SPOKEN  BY  MORE  THAN
 TWO  PER  CENT (2%) OF THE TOTAL RESIDENTS OF THE COUNTIES OF THE BRONX,
 KINGS, NEW YORK, QUEENS AND RICHMOND, THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY SHALL  ENSURE
 THAT SUCH ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE IS PROVIDED TO THE RESIDENTS OF SUCH COUN-
 TIES AS REQUIRED BY SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION.
   § 2. Article 7 of the executive law is amended by adding a new section
 171 to read as follows:
   § 171. TELEPHONE SERVICE LANGUAGES. 1. THE STATE AND ANY STATE AGENCY,
 AS  SUCH  TERM IS DEFINED IN PARAGRAPH (A) OF SUBDIVISION ONE OF SECTION
 EIGHTEEN OF THE STATE FINANCE LAW, THAT DIRECTLY  OPERATES  A  TELEPHONE
 ANSWERING  SERVICE TO RESPOND TO INQUIRIES, QUESTIONS OR COMPLAINTS MADE
 BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC, INCLUDING THE RESIDENTS OF THE COUNTIES OF BRONX,
 KINGS, NEW YORK, QUEENS AND RICHMOND, SHALL ENSURE THAT SUCH SERVICE  BE
 PROVIDED  IN  ENGLISH, CHINESE, FRENCH CREOLE, KOREAN, RUSSIAN AND SPAN-
 ISH.
   2. (A) COMMENCING WITH CALENDAR  YEAR  TWO  THOUSAND  TWENTY-TWO,  AND
 EVERY  FIVE  YEARS THEREAFTER, THE STATE AND ANY STATE AGENCY SUBJECT TO
 THE PROVISIONS OF SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION SHALL STUDY AND PERUSE
 THE MOST RECENT POPULATION DATA COMPILED AND  PUBLISHED  BY  THE  UNITED
 STATES  CENSUS  BUREAU  TO DETERMINE WHETHER A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN THOSE
 LANGUAGES REFERRED TO IN SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION  IS  SPOKEN  BY
 MORE  THAN  TWO  PER CENT (2%) OF THE TOTAL RESIDENTS OF THE COUNTIES OF
 THE BRONX, KINGS, NEW YORK, QUEENS AND RICHMOND.
   (B) IF IT IS DETERMINED THAT A LANGUAGE  OTHER  THAN  THOSE  LANGUAGES
 REFERRED  TO  IN  SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION IS SPOKEN BY MORE THAN
 TWO PER CENT (2%) OF THE TOTAL RESIDENTS OF THE COUNTIES OF  THE  BRONX,
 KINGS,  NEW YORK, QUEENS AND RICHMOND, THE STATE OR THE APPLICABLE STATE
 AGENCY SHALL ENSURE THAT SUCH ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE  IS  PROVIDED  TO  THE
 RESIDENTS  OF  SUCH  COUNTIES  AS  REQUIRED  BY  SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS
 SECTION.
   § 3. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 139-l to
 read as follows:
   §  139-L.  TELEPHONE  SERVICE  LANGUAGES.  1.    NOTWITHSTANDING   ANY
 PROVISION  OF  LAW  TO  THE CONTRARY, ALL CONTRACTS, WITH A VALUE OF ONE
 MILLION DOLLARS OR MORE, MADE AND AWARDED BY  THE  STATE  OR  ANY  STATE
 AGENCY,  AS  SUCH TERM IS DEFINED IN PARAGRAPH (A) OF SUBDIVISION ONE OF
 SECTION EIGHTEEN OF THIS CHAPTER, TO  OPERATE  OR  OTHERWISE  PROVIDE  A

 A. 4707                             3
 
 TELEPHONE  ANSWERING  SERVICE  TO  RESPOND  TO  INQUIRIES,  QUESTIONS OR
 COMPLAINTS MADE BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC, INCLUDING THE  RESIDENTS  OF  THE
 COUNTIES  OF  BRONX, KINGS, NEW YORK, QUEENS AND RICHMOND, SHALL REQUIRE
 THAT  SUCH SERVICE BE PROVIDED IN ENGLISH, CHINESE, FRENCH CREOLE, KORE-
 AN, RUSSIAN AND SPANISH.
   2. (A) COMMENCING WITH CALENDAR  YEAR  TWO  THOUSAND  TWENTY-TWO,  AND
 EVERY  FIVE  YEARS THEREAFTER, THE STATE AND ANY STATE AGENCY SUBJECT TO
 THE PROVISIONS OF SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION SHALL STUDY AND PERUSE
 THE MOST RECENT POPULATION DATA COMPILED AND  PUBLISHED  BY  THE  UNITED
 STATES  CENSUS  BUREAU  TO DETERMINE WHETHER A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN THOSE
 LANGUAGES REFERRED TO IN SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION  IS  SPOKEN  BY
 MORE  THAN  TWO  PER CENT (2%) OF THE TOTAL RESIDENTS OF THE COUNTIES OF
 THE BRONX, KINGS, NEW YORK, QUEENS AND RICHMOND.
   (B) IF IT IS DETERMINED THAT A LANGUAGE  OTHER  THAN  THOSE  LANGUAGES
 REFERRED  TO  IN  SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION IS SPOKEN BY MORE THAN
 TWO PER CENT (2%) OF THE TOTAL RESIDENTS OF THE COUNTIES OF  THE  BRONX,
 KINGS,  NEW YORK, QUEENS AND RICHMOND, THE STATE OR THE APPLICABLE STATE
 AGENCY SHALL ENSURE THAT SUCH ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE  IS  PROVIDED  TO  THE
 RESIDENTS  OF  SUCH  COUNTIES  AS  REQUIRED  BY  SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS
 SECTION.
   § 4. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day  after  it  shall
 have  become a law and shall apply to all contracts awarded or in effect
 on or after such effective date.