Bill Text: NY S06777 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Provides language translation services to accommodate census self-reporting.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Vetoed) 2022-12-09 - VETOED MEMO.98 [S06777 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S06777-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         6777--A
            Cal. No. 268

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                      May 17, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced by Sens. SALAZAR, BRISPORT -- read twice and ordered printed,
          and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance -- recom-
          mitted  to  the Committee on Finance in accordance with Senate Rule 6,
          sec. 8 -- reported favorably from said committee, ordered to first and
          second report,  ordered  to  a  third  reading,  amended  and  ordered
          reprinted, retaining its place in the order of third reading

        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:

     1    Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 154 to
     2  read as follows:
     3    §  154.  Census-related  translation  services  to  state agencies and
     4  localities. 1.  Census-related translation services shall be extended to
     5  those who express a need beyond the  services  provided  by  the  United
     6  States Census Bureau. The department of state, by and through the secre-
     7  tary  of  state or duly authorized officers or employees, shall have the
     8  following state agency and locality oversight functions,  in  regard  to
     9  census-related translation services:
    10    (a)  The  department shall identify existing translation services, and
    11  shall work with state agencies and other relevant state institutions  to
    12  determine if these translation services may be utilized as census-relat-
    13  ed  translation  services. In addition to existing translation services,
    14  the department shall work  to  identify  expanded  translation  services
    15  which  shall  include  as  many languages as possible, provided however,
    16  these expanded translation services, at a minimum, are made available in
    17  all languages used within census self-reporting forms.
    18    (b) The department shall connect state agencies,  municipalities,  and
    19  other  relevant  state  or local institutions with all identified trans-
    20  lation services for the purposes  of  providing  quality  census-related
    21  translation services to communities throughout the state of New York.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD08994-03-1
        S. 6777--A                          2

     1    (c) To ensure the services listed in paragraph (a) of this subdivision
     2  are  effectively  provided  to the public, state agencies and localities
     3  are required to notify the public of  the  availability  of  translation
     4  services  identified  for  self-reporting  in the decennial census. Such
     5  notice  shall include posting information online, working with any rele-
     6  vant organizations to reach limited or non-proficient English  speakers,
     7  and any other means identified as effectively providing notice.
     8    2. On or before April first of each year following a decennial census,
     9  commencing  after  April first, two thousand twenty-four, the department
    10  shall submit a report to the governor, the director of the  budget,  the
    11  speaker of the assembly and the temporary president of the senate on the
    12  prior  year's  census-related  translation  services for limited English
    13  proficiency speakers. The report shall identify the translation services
    14  or programs utilized by state agencies, localities, and  other  relevant
    15  state  or  local institutions for census-related translation services in
    16  that year. In addition, the report shall include recommendations for the
    17  improvement of these services for the following decennial census.
    18    § 2. This act shall take effect April 1, 2023. Effective  immediately,
    19  the  addition,  amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation neces-
    20  sary for the implementation of  this  act  on  its  effective  date  are
    21  authorized  to  be  made  and  completed by the secretary of state on or
    22  before such effective date.