Bill Text: CA AB2155 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Introduced

California Assembly Bill 2155

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Bilingual-Oriented Social Equity Services Grant Program.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-05-15 - In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file. [AB2155 Detail]

Download: California-2023-AB2155-Introduced.html

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 2155

Introduced by Assembly Member Ting

February 06, 2024

An act to add Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 10095.1) to Part 1 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to public social services.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 2155, as introduced, Ting. Bilingual-Oriented Social Equity Services Grant Program.

Existing law, the Dymally-Alatorre Bilingual Services Act, requires a state agency that serves a substantial number of non-English-speaking people, as defined, and that finds other specific factors to exist to distribute specified written materials in the appropriate non-English language through its statewide and local offices or facilities to those non-English-speaking persons. As an alternative, the act requires the state agency to furnish translation aids or guides or to provide assistance, through use of a qualified bilingual person, in completing English forms or questionnaires and in understanding English forms, letters, or notices.

This bill would require the State Department of Social Services, commencing with the 2025–26 fiscal year, to establish and administer the Bilingual-Oriented Social Equity Services Grant Program to distribute funding to community-based nonprofit organizations that provide equitable language access to social services. Under the bill, grants awarded pursuant to the program would be used to provide a pay differential to direct service professionals whose primary job responsibilities include communicating in a language or medium other than English, as defined. The bill would require the department to prioritize funding to organizations who are current state program grantees or subgrantees, but would not limit the department from awarding funds to organizations that are not current grantees or subgrantees, as long as they are eligible to receive a grant under these provisions. The bill would require 40% of funds appropriated for its purposes to be awarded as Multilingual Success Grants to community-based organizations serving those limited-English-proficient Californians whose language communities represent 2% or more of California’s total population. The bill would require 60% of the appropriated funds to be awarded as Multilingual Access Grants to community-based organizations serving those limited-English-proficient populations that do not meet that threshold. The bill would establish the Bilingual-Oriented Social Equity Services Grant Program Fund, which would consist of moneys appropriated by the Legislature for purposes of providing the grants described in the bill.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 10095.1) is added to Part 1 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:

CHAPTER 4. Community Language Access

10095.1.

The Legislature finds and declares as follows:

(a) The provision of services that are culturally and linguistically responsive to Californians is instrumental to improving access and equity in the direct services provided by both the government and community-based infrastructure.

(b) Direct service professionals are critical to the provision of services and supports to individuals with limited English proficiency, yet are often not compensated for the usage of their bilingual skills.

(c) In recognition of the value of effective communication between direct service professionals and the Californians they serve, the provision of a pay differential for bilingual and multilingual direct service professionals will increase Californians’ access to staff who speak their preferred language.

(d) Statewide, most households that fall within the category of “limited English proficiency” or “LEP” speak Spanish, followed by Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Korean as the top five languages spoken, according to 2021 American Community Survey estimates.

(e) Low representation of languages leaves California unable to respond to growing crises, such as the increase of migrants and refugees seeking safe entry through the southern border.

10095.2.

(a) (1) Commencing with the 2025–26 fiscal year, the State Department of Social Services shall establish and administer the Bilingual-Oriented Social Equity Services Grant Program in accordance with this chapter.

(2) The purpose of the program is to distribute funding to community-based nonprofit organizations that provide equitable language access, including, but not limited to, American Sign Language, and indigenous languages to social services. Grants shall be used to provide a pay differential to direct service professionals whose primary job responsibilities include communicating in a language or medium other than English.

(3) The Bilingual-Oriented Social Equity Services Grant Program Fund is hereby established. The fund shall consist of moneys appropriated by the Legislature for purposes of this chapter, which shall be used solely to provide the grants described in subdivision (b).

(b) The program shall award grants as follows:

(1) The department shall prioritize grant funding to community-based nonprofit organizations who are current state program grantees or subgrantees but does not limit the department to issue grants to community-based nonprofit organizations who are not currently state program grantees or subgrantees, as long as they are eligible under paragraph (2) of subdivision (a).

(2) (A) A grant awarded pursuant to this paragraph shall be known as a Multilingual Success Grant.

(B) The department shall allocate 40 percent of the funding appropriated for purposes of this chapter to community-based nonprofit organizations serving limited-English-proficient Californians whose language communities represent 2 percent or more of California’s total population based on the most recent American Community Survey from the United States Census Bureau, state agency data, and any other relevant data source.

(3) (A) A grant awarded pursuant to this paragraph shall be known as the Multilingual Access Grant.

(B) The department shall allocate 60 percent of the funding appropriated for purposes of this chapter to community-based nonprofit organizations serving limited-English-proficient Californians whose language communities represent less than 2 percent of California’s total population based on the most recent American Community Survey from the United States Census Bureau, state agency data, and any other relevant data source.

(c) Notwithstanding any other law, a direct service professional described in subdivision (b) shall be eligible for bilingual or multilingual pay if both of the following conditions are met:

(1) The direct service professional job responsibilities require regular communication in a language or medium other than English with individuals seeking direct services.

(2) The employing community-based organization certifies that the direct service professional has the ability to communicate in the language or medium other than English, as defined in subdivision (d).

(d) For purposes of this section, “medium other than English” includes, but is not limited to, American Sign Language and other sign languages and augmentative and alternative communication.