Senate Bill S5751

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Ensures language assistance services by state agencies and requires state agencies to maintain records and to submit an annual report on language services

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Civil Service And Pensions Committee


  • Introduced
    • In Committee Assembly
    • In Committee Senate
    • On Floor Calendar Assembly
    • On Floor Calendar Senate
    • Passed Assembly
    • Passed Senate
  • Delivered to Governor
  • Signed By Governor

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2023-S5751 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:
Senate Civil Service And Pensions
Law Section:
Civil Service Law
Laws Affected:
Add §55-d, Civ Serv L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2011-2012: S1485
2013-2014: S2913
2015-2016: S1570
2017-2018: S2438
2019-2020: S4153
2021-2022: S4762

2023-S5751 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Ensures language assistance services by state agencies; requires state agencies to maintain records of the primary language spoken by any individual seeking such assistance; requires state agencies to submit an annual report on language services.

2023-S5751 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S5751 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5751
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              March 15, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Civil Service and Pensions
 
 AN ACT to amend the civil service law, in relation to  language  assist-
   ance services by state agencies
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The civil service law is amended by adding  a  new  section
 55-d to read as follows:
   §  55-D.  ENSURING  LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE SERVICES BY STATE AGENCIES. 1.
 EVERY AGENCY SHALL PROVIDE LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE SERVICES TO  ALL  LIMITED
 ENGLISH PROFICIENT INDIVIDUALS SO AS TO ENSURE THAT ALL SUCH INDIVIDUALS
 WHO  CANNOT  SPEAK,  READ, WRITE OR UNDERSTAND THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE WITH
 THE PROFICIENCY NECESSARY FOR ADEQUATE COMMUNICATION WITH AGENCY PERSON-
 NEL HAVE EFFECTIVE ACCESS TO THE AGENCY'S PROGRAMS AND SERVICES.   EVERY
 AGENCY  SHALL  ENSURE THAT ALL INDIVIDUALS PROVIDING LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE
 SERVICES TO  LIMITED  ENGLISH  PROFICIENT  INDIVIDUALS  HAVE  SUFFICIENT
 FLUENCY  IN BOTH ENGLISH AND THE RELEVANT LANGUAGE TO COMMUNICATE INFOR-
 MATION NECESSARY FOR SUCH  INDIVIDUAL  TO  ACCESS  SERVICES.    LANGUAGE
 ASSISTANCE  SERVICES  FOR  PRIMARY  AND  NON-PRIMARY  LANGUAGES SHALL BE
 AVAILABLE AT ALL AGENCY LOCATIONS OPEN FOR PUBLIC BUSINESS,  AND  SHALL,
 TO  THE  EXTENT  PRACTICABLE,  BE PROVIDED IN PERSON. TRANSLATION OF ALL
 FREQUENTLY USED FORMS AND OTHER WRITTEN MATERIALS THAT ARE ESSENTIAL  TO
 ACCESS AGENCY SERVICES SHALL BE AVAILABLE IN ALL OF THE AGENCY'S PRIMARY
 LANGUAGES.  THE  PRESIDENT  SHALL  DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A COMPREHENSIVE
 LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE PLAN THAT ESTABLISHES UNIFORM  POLICIES  AND  PROCE-
 DURES  FOR  PROVIDING  LANGUAGE  ASSISTANCE  SERVICES  BY  ALL AGENCIES,
 INCLUDING PROCEDURES FOR DOCUMENTING THE  PROVISION  OF  OR  REFUSAL  OF
 LANGUAGE  ASSISTANCE SERVICES, AND THAT REQUIRES TRAINING TO ENSURE THAT
 ALL STAFF WHO HAVE CONTACT WITH LIMITED ENGLISH  PROFICIENT  INDIVIDUALS
 COMPLY WITH THE PLAN. SUCH PERSON PROVIDING LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE SERVICES
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07438-01-3
 S. 5751                             2
              

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