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.