Senate Bill S6076A

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S6076A

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to amend the New York city civil court act,
in relation to requiring the office of court administration to
promulgate certain housing court documents provided to parties in
their native language

 PURPOSE :

This bill would require the office of court administration to
promulgate certain housing court documents to parties in proceedings
before New York City Housing Court documents to parties in their
native language.

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :

Section 1: Amends Section 110 of the New York City civil court act by
adding a new subdivision (q) (1) requiring the office of court
administration to promulgate a Spanish version of the Notice of
Petition and Petition for Nonpayment and require that it be served
together with an English version in all proceedings commenced under
section seven hundred thirty-two of the real property actions and
proceedings law.

Section 2: Requires the Office of Court Administration (OCA)
promulgate a notice to be included in or annexed to all Petitions
              

subject to proceedings commenced under section seven hundred
thirty-two of the real property actions and proceedings law, which
shall state, in the six most common languages in the city of New York,
that the respondent may obtain a copy of the Notice of Petition and
Petition form in those six most common languages on the Internet
website of the OCA, and may call a designated telephone number which
will provide information on the court process for eviction in the
Respondent's native language.

Section 3: Requires the OCA to revise the text of the postcard
currently required to be filed by petitioners in proceedings subject
to article seven of the real property actions and proceedings law to
include notice in the six most common languages in the city of New
York, that the respondent may obtain the Notice of Petition and
Petition form in those six most common languages on the internet
website of the OCA, and may call a designated telephone number which
will provide information on the court process for eviction in the
respondent's native language.

Section 4: Requires OCA to promulgate notices in the six most common
languages in the city of New York to be distributed to litigants in
the housing part of the civil court advising them of the right to have
all court proceedings and any agreements settling the case interpreted
to them orally in their native language.

 JUSTIFICATION :

New York State has approximately 5.5 million residents who are not
native English speakers and 2.5 million New Yorkers with limited
English proficiency (LEP). Seeking to address the needs of this large
and growing population, Governor Cuomo signed Executive Order Number
26 in 2011 requiring all state agencies that provide direct public
services to begin translating essential forms, instructions and other
documents in the six most common languages found in the state. Under
the Executive Order Number 26 the agencies also must provide
interpretation in clients primary language, regardless of whether it
is one of the six most common. State agencies were required to begin
providing these services by October 6, 2012.


While this was a significant step forward in meeting the needs of LEP
New Yorkers, the state Office of Court Administration (OCA) was not
specifically covered by the executive order. This legislation seeks to
rectify that omission by requiring OCA to take several fundamental
steps to remove barriers faced by LEP New Yorkers.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

2016 - Advanced to Third Reading cal. 681, Reported, Print Number
7968b, Amend (t) and recommit to Judiciary

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

To be determined

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This Act shall take effect on the 90th day after enactment.