NY State Senate Bill 2025-S6766

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance 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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Date of Action	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Mar 24, 2025	referred to finance

2025-S6766 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A5972
Current Committee:: Senate Finance
Law Section:: Executive Law
Laws Affected:: Add §154, Exec L

2025-S6766 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Provides language translation services to accommodate census self-reporting.

2025-S6766 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S6766

SPONSOR: SALAZAR
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the executive law, in relation to providing language
translation services to accommodate census self-reporting

 
PURPOSE::

Requires the Department of State to identify existing translation
services and identify expanded translation services to be utilized as
census related translation services.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS::

Section 1. Amends the Executive Law by adding a new section 154, to
extend existing translation services to state agencies and localities,
for purposes of census self-reporting; and to expand upon those trans-
lation services to include, at a minimum, all languages used in census
self-reporting forms.

Section 2. Provides for the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION::

Although the Census Bureau provides language support in over 50
languages and provides self-reporting forms in 12 languages, New Yorkers
speak over 200 languages, and those with limited or no English profi-
ciency are at high risk of not being counted in the census. According to
the American Survey, at least 113,000 New Yorkers speak a language at
home that will not be supported by the Census Bureau's translation

Adequate statewide translation services will be essential in ensuring an
accurate census count of New Yorkers with limited or no English profi-
ciency. For this reason, it is critical for the state to identify any
existing language translation services, to use those services in accom-
modating census self-reporting, and in addition, provide expanded trans-
lation services, to assist with census self-reporting in at least all
the languages that the questionnaire will be translated into.

To effectively utilize these services throughout the state, this legis-
lation requires state agencies and localities notify the public of the
availability of these services by posting information online, working
with any relevant organizations to reach limited or non-English profi-
cient speakers, and by any other identified effective means. Addi- tion-
ally, to improve translation services for use in later decennial census-
es, the proposal requires the Department of State provide a report each
year following a decennial census in the prior year's use of these
services, along with recommendations,

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY::

SENATE:

2022 - S 6777-A (Salazar) - Referred to Finance, reported, passed
Senate, vetoed (memo 98).


2021 - S 6777 (Salazar) - Referred to Finance, discharged to Rules,
passed Senate.

2019-2020 - S 6897-A (Salazar) - Referred to Finance, reported, passed
Senate.

ASSEMBLY:

2022 - A 7132-A (Reyes) Referred to Government Operations, reported,
passed Assembly, vetoed (memo 98).

2021 - A 7132 (Reyes) Referred to Government Operations, reported.

2020 - A 9928 (Reyes) Referred to Government Operations.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS::

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE::

Effective immediately.

2025-S6766 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6766
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              March 24, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. SALAZAR -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance
 
 AN ACT to amend the executive law, in  relation  to  providing  language
   translation services to accommodate census self-reporting
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 154 to
 read as follows:
   § 154. CENSUS-RELATED  TRANSLATION  SERVICES  TO  STATE  AGENCIES  AND
 LOCALITIES. 1.  CENSUS-RELATED TRANSLATION SERVICES SHALL BE EXTENDED TO
 THOSE  WHO  EXPRESS  A  NEED  BEYOND THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE UNITED
 STATES CENSUS BUREAU. THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE, BY AND THROUGH THE SECRE-
 TARY OF STATE OR DULY AUTHORIZED OFFICERS OR EMPLOYEES, SHALL  HAVE  THE
 FOLLOWING  STATE  AGENCY  AND LOCALITY OVERSIGHT FUNCTIONS, IN REGARD TO
 CENSUS-RELATED TRANSLATION SERVICES:
   (A) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL IDENTIFY EXISTING TRANSLATION  SERVICES,  AND
 SHALL  WORK WITH STATE AGENCIES AND OTHER RELEVANT STATE INSTITUTIONS TO
 DETERMINE IF SUCH TRANSLATION SERVICES MAY BE UTILIZED AS CENSUS-RELATED
 TRANSLATION SERVICES. IN ADDITION TO EXISTING TRANSLATION SERVICES,  THE
 DEPARTMENT  SHALL  WORK  TO IDENTIFY EXPANDED TRANSLATION SERVICES WHICH
 SHALL INCLUDE AS MANY LANGUAGES AS POSSIBLE, PROVIDED HOWEVER THAT, SUCH
 EXPANDED TRANSLATION SERVICES, AT A MINIMUM, SHALL BE MADE AVAILABLE  IN
 ALL LANGUAGES USED WITHIN CENSUS SELF-REPORTING FORMS.
   (B)  THE  DEPARTMENT SHALL CONNECT STATE AGENCIES, MUNICIPALITIES, AND
 OTHER RELEVANT STATE OR LOCAL INSTITUTIONS WITH  ALL  IDENTIFIED  TRANS-
 LATION  SERVICES  FOR  THE  PURPOSES OF PROVIDING QUALITY CENSUS-RELATED
 TRANSLATION SERVICES TO COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
   (C) TO ENSURE THE SERVICES LISTED IN PARAGRAPH (A) OF THIS SUBDIVISION
 ARE EFFECTIVELY PROVIDED TO THE PUBLIC, STATE  AGENCIES  AND  LOCALITIES
 SHALL  BE  REQUIRED  TO  NOTIFY THE PUBLIC OF THE AVAILABILITY OF TRANS-
 LATION SERVICES IDENTIFIED FOR SELF-REPORTING IN THE  DECENNIAL  CENSUS.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD09595-01-5

 S. 6766                             2
 
 SUCH  NOTICE  SHALL INCLUDE POSTING INFORMATION ONLINE, WORKING WITH ANY
 RELEVANT ORGANIZATIONS TO REACH LIMITED OR NON-PROFICIENT ENGLISH SPEAK-
 ERS, AND ANY OTHER MEANS IDENTIFIED AS EFFECTIVELY PROVIDING NOTICE.
   2. ON OR BEFORE APRIL FIRST OF EACH YEAR FOLLOWING A DECENNIAL CENSUS,
 COMMENCING  AFTER APRIL FIRST, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-EIGHT, THE DEPARTMENT
 SHALL SUBMIT A REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR, THE DIRECTOR OF THE  BUDGET,  THE
 SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY AND THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE ON THE
 PRIOR  YEAR'S  CENSUS-RELATED  TRANSLATION  SERVICES FOR LIMITED ENGLISH
 PROFICIENCY SPEAKERS. THE REPORT SHALL IDENTIFY THE TRANSLATION SERVICES
 OR PROGRAMS UTILIZED BY STATE AGENCIES, LOCALITIES, AND  OTHER  RELEVANT
 STATE  OR  LOCAL INSTITUTIONS FOR CENSUS-RELATED TRANSLATION SERVICES IN
 THAT YEAR. IN ADDITION, THE REPORT SHALL INCLUDE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE
 IMPROVEMENT OF THESE SERVICES FOR THE FOLLOWING DECENNIAL CENSUS.
   § 2. This act shall take effect April 1, 2027. Effective  immediately,
 the  addition,  amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation neces-
 sary for the implementation of  this  act  on  its  effective  date  are
 authorized  to  be  made  and  completed by the secretary of state on or
 before such effective date.

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Senate Bill S6766

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Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance Committee

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2025-S6766 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S6766 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S6766 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S6766 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

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Sponsored By

Julia Salazar

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance Committee

Actions

2025-S6766 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S6766 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S6766 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S6766 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments