Bill Text: NY A09271 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Directs the Queens county board of elections to provide language assistance in Bengali, Punjabi and Hindi.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-02-09 - referred to election law [A09271 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A09271-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          9271

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 9, 2022
                                       ___________

        Introduced   by   M.  of  A.  WEPRIN,  KIM,  ROZIC,  COLTON,  M. MILLER,
          J. D. RIVERA -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A.  BRAUNSTEIN,  PERRY  --
          read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law

        AN  ACT  to  amend the election law, in relation to directing the Queens
          county board of elections to provide language assistance  in  Bengali,
          Punjabi and Hindi

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The election law is amended by adding a new  section  3-508
     2  to read as follows:
     3    §  3-508. Queens county board of elections; voting materials in Benga-
     4  li, Punjabi and Hindi.  The  Queens  county  board  of  elections  shall
     5  provide  written  language  assistance in the Bengali, Punjabi and Hindi
     6  languages pursuant to section two hundred three of the voting rights act
     7  of nineteen hundred sixty-five  (42  U.S.C.  1973aa-1a).  Such  language
     8  assistance  shall  include, but not be limited to, ballots, signs, voter
     9  mailings, employee and volunteer training materials and  information  on
    10  such board's website. It shall also produce and disseminate countywide a
    11  booklet  that  includes:  (a)  a voter registration form in English with
    12  instructions in Bengali, Punjabi and Hindi; (b) instructions in Bengali,
    13  Punjabi and Hindi regarding the criteria  and  application  process  for
    14  obtaining  an  absentee  ballot;  and  (c)  a section with general voter
    15  information in Bengali, Punjabi and  Hindi  including  frequently  asked
    16  questions.  Such board may include other languages on its website and in
    17  such booklet.
    18    § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
    19  it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition,  amend-
    20  ment  and/or repeal of any rules or regulations necessary for the imple-
    21  mentation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made on
    22  or before such date.


         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07981-01-1