Bill Text: TX HB5166 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the development of a language access plan to increase access to assistance under health and human services programs by certain individuals.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 13-2)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-04-25 - Left pending in committee [HB5166 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HB5166-Introduced.html
| By: Morales Shaw | H.B. No. 5166 | |
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| relating to the development of a language access plan to increase | ||
| access to assistance under health and human services programs by | ||
| certain individuals. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 531, Government Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Section 531.0193 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 531.0193. LANGUAGE ACCESS PLAN. (a) The commission | ||
| shall develop a language access plan to increase non-English | ||
| speakers' access to assistance provided under the health and human | ||
| services programs the commission administers. The plan must | ||
| ensure: | ||
| (1) all of the commission's public written materials, | ||
| forms, applications, portal application systems, and external | ||
| communications are translated and orally interpreted into any | ||
| language spoken by a group in this state with a population of at | ||
| least 50,000 of which at least 33 percent have limited English | ||
| proficiency, according to the most recent American Community Survey | ||
| compiled by the United States Census Bureau, including: | ||
| (A) English; | ||
| (B) Spanish; | ||
| (C) Vietnamese; | ||
| (D) Korean; | ||
| (E) Arabic; | ||
| (F) Mandarin or Cantonese; and | ||
| (G) traditional and simplified written Chinese; | ||
| (2) the translated materials, forms, applications, | ||
| and external communications are available to the public on the | ||
| commission's Internet website; | ||
| (3) that groups described by Subdivision (1) are | ||
| informed about language access rights and services, including the | ||
| availability of the commission's written translations and oral | ||
| interpretations by: | ||
| (A) conducting intentional outreach efforts; and | ||
| (B) posting translated information and public | ||
| announcements in public spaces; | ||
| (4) commission employees are provided training on the | ||
| language access plan, language access procedures, and expectations | ||
| related to the access plan; and | ||
| (5) that quality control and accountability measures | ||
| are developed to make certain: | ||
| (A) all translations and interpretations are | ||
| professional and understandable; and | ||
| (B) members of the groups described by | ||
| Subdivision (1) are able to evaluate the performance of the | ||
| commission's language access services and the effectiveness of the | ||
| language access plan. | ||
| (b) The commission shall employ at least one language access | ||
| officer to oversee the implementation of the language access plan | ||
| and ensure language access services are provided in accordance with | ||
| the plan. | ||
| (c) The commission may use multilingual commission | ||
| employees or contract with a third party to translate and prepare or | ||
| provide oral interpretations of the commission's written | ||
| materials, forms, applications, portal application systems, and | ||
| external communications as required by Subsection (a). | ||
| (d) The executive commissioner may adopt rules necessary to | ||
| implement this section. | ||
| SECTION 2. If before implementing any provision of this Act | ||
| a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a | ||
| federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision, | ||
| the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or | ||
| authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the | ||
| waiver or authorization is granted. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. | ||
