Bill Text: NY A07780 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to social services [A07780 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A07780-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          7780

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                      June 15, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. SIMON -- 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:

     1    Section 1. Section 95-a of the  social  services  law  is  amended  by
     2  adding a new subdivision 9 to read as follows:
     3    9.  (a)  The  department  shall develop and implement a plan to ensure
     4  adequate access to information by individuals who have  limited  English
     5  proficiency  or  otherwise  require communication assistance.   Notwith-
     6  standing the provisions of any general, special  or  local  law  to  the
     7  contrary, and subject to appropriation, the department shall:
     8    (i) translate necessary documents, including but not limited to, forms
     9  and  instructions  provided to or completed by the program beneficiaries
    10  or participants, into  the  twelve  most  common  non-English  languages
    11  spoken  by  individuals  with  limited-English  proficiency  in New York
    12  state, based on United States census data.    Pursuant  to  section  two
    13  hundred  two-a  of  the  executive  law,  the  department  may,  in  its
    14  discretion, offer up to four additional languages beyond the twelve most
    15  common languages. Such additional languages shall be determined  by  the
    16  provisions established in such section two hundred two-a.
    17    (ii)  offer,  upon request, interpretation services between the entity
    18  administering the program and  an  individual  in  his  or  her  primary
    19  language with respect to the provision of services or benefits; and
    20    (iii)  offer,  upon request or demonstrated need, services to an indi-
    21  vidual who requires additional assistance due to partial or total  deaf-
    22  ness, blindness, speech impediment, or cognitive impairment; and
    23    (iv)  subject  to appropriation, work with the office for the aging to
    24  provide additional translation services to both agencies to assist  with

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD09717-01-3
        A. 7780                             2

     1  informing  low-income  and  elderly  households  potentially eligible to
     2  receive supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits.
     3    (b)  Each  commissioner  of social services shall retain discretion to
     4  offer additional language translation services to low-income recipients,
     5  as necessary.
     6    § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
     7  have  become  a  law;  provided, however, that the amendments to section
     8  95-a of the social services law made by section one of  this  act  shall
     9  not  affect  the  expiration  and reversion of such section and shall be
    10  deemed to expire therewith.