STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2174
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 23, 2019
___________
Introduced by Sen. BAILEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed 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 six most common non-English languages spoken
11 by beneficiaries with limited-English proficiency;
12 (ii) offer, upon request, interpretation services between the entity
13 administering the program and an individual in his or her primary
14 language with respect to the provision of services or benefits; and
15 (iii) offer, upon request or demonstrated need, services to an indi-
16 vidual who requires additional assistance due to partial or total deaf-
17 ness, blindness, speech impediment, or cognitive impairment; and
18 (iv) subject to appropriation, work with the office for the aging to
19 provide additional translation services to both agencies to assist with
20 informing low-income and elderly households potentially eligible to
21 receive food stamps.
22 (b) Each commissioner of social services shall retain discretion to
23 offer additional language translation services to low-income recipients,
24 as necessary.
25 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
26 have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05621-01-9
