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Assembly Bill A8470

2019-2020 Legislative Session

Relates to providing adequate access to information for certain individuals

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Assembly Committee

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2019-A8470 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Senate Version of this Bill:
S2174
Current Committee:
Assembly Social Services
Law Section:
Social Services Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §95-a, Soc Serv L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2017-2018: S7407
2021-2022: A2109
2023-2024: A7780
2025-2026: A2171

2019-A8470 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Ensures adequate access to information by individuals who have limited English proficiency.

2019-A8470 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8470
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               July 8, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  FERNANDEZ  --  read once and referred to the
   Committee on Social Services
 
 AN ACT to amend  the  social  services  law,  in  relation  to  ensuring
   adequate access to information by individuals who have limited English
   proficiency
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 95-a of the  social  services  law  is  amended  by
 adding a new subdivision 9 to read as follows:
   9.  (A)  THE  DEPARTMENT  SHALL DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A PLAN TO ENSURE
 ADEQUATE ACCESS TO INFORMATION BY INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE  LIMITED  ENGLISH
 PROFICIENCY  OR  OTHERWISE  REQUIRE COMMUNICATION ASSISTANCE.   NOTWITH-
 STANDING THE PROVISIONS OF ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL  OR  LOCAL  LAW  TO  THE
 CONTRARY, AND SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL:
   (I) TRANSLATE NECESSARY DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, FORMS
 AND  INSTRUCTIONS  PROVIDED TO OR COMPLETED BY THE PROGRAM BENEFICIARIES
 OR PARTICIPANTS, INTO THE SIX MOST COMMON NON-ENGLISH  LANGUAGES  SPOKEN
 BY BENEFICIARIES WITH LIMITED-ENGLISH PROFICIENCY;
   (II)  OFFER,  UPON REQUEST, INTERPRETATION SERVICES BETWEEN THE ENTITY
 ADMINISTERING THE PROGRAM AND  AN  INDIVIDUAL  IN  HIS  OR  HER  PRIMARY
 LANGUAGE WITH RESPECT TO THE PROVISION OF SERVICES OR BENEFITS; AND
   (III)  OFFER,  UPON REQUEST OR DEMONSTRATED NEED, SERVICES TO AN INDI-
 VIDUAL WHO REQUIRES ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE DUE TO PARTIAL OR TOTAL  DEAF-
 NESS, BLINDNESS, SPEECH IMPEDIMENT, OR COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT; AND
   (IV)  SUBJECT  TO APPROPRIATION, WORK WITH THE OFFICE FOR THE AGING TO
 PROVIDE ADDITIONAL TRANSLATION SERVICES TO BOTH AGENCIES TO ASSIST  WITH
 INFORMING  LOW-INCOME  AND  ELDERLY  HOUSEHOLDS  POTENTIALLY ELIGIBLE TO
 RECEIVE FOOD STAMPS.
   (B) EACH COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL SERVICES SHALL  RETAIN  DISCRETION  TO
 OFFER ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE TRANSLATION SERVICES TO LOW-INCOME RECIPIENTS,
 AS NECESSARY.
   §  2.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
 have become a law.

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