CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill No. 3179

Introduced by Assembly Member Salas

February 16, 2018

An act to add Section 7292.5 to the Government Code, relating to state government.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 3179, as introduced, Salas. State agencies: bilingual services: Punjabi.
The Dymally-Alatorre Bilingual Services Act, among other things, generally requires every state agency, as defined, directly involved in certain activities involving contact with a substantial number of non-English-speaking people, and every local agency, as defined, serving a substantial number of non-English-speaking people, to employ a sufficient number of qualified bilingual persons in public contact positions.
This bill would require every state agency, as defined, to update its data collection categories to match those used by the United States Census Bureau in the most recent update in December 2017. The bill would also require every state agency that directly or by contract provides translations for language accessibility to make provisions for the Punjabi language on or after an unspecified date and to recalculate its threshold languages in light of the United States Census data around Punjabi to see if eligibility numbers are met, but would require specified state agencies to comply with these provisions as early as possible, but no later than an unspecified date.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of the following:
(a) Punjabi is the tenth most spoken language in the world, with over 100,000,000 speakers worldwide, also making it the third most spoken language in Canada and the fourth most spoken language in the United Kingdom.
(b) Punjabi has been spoken in California since 1899, when the first Sikhs entered through the Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco.
(c) The first Punjabi newspaper printing press in California dates to 1913, where Kartar Singh Sarabha published The Ghadar with financial support from the Stockton Gurdwara.
(d) Punjabi is one of the top 10 most spoken languages in California, with the most sizable populations throughout the Central Valley.
(e) Punjabi is often the third most spoken language in most counties between Kern and Sutter Counties.
(f) Punjabi language instruction is expanding in many high schools in Union City, Live Oak, Yuba City, Livingston, Selma, Fresno, Clovis, and Bakersfield.
(g) Punjabi language is celebrated in Yuba City, often called “mini-Punjab” because of its 10 percent Punjabi population, which celebrates the birth of the founder of the Sikh tradition, Baba Guru Nanak, in November.
(h) Punjabi language is celebrated through festivals, publications, and events in many “Little Punjabs” throughout California including: Live Oak, Natomas, Sacramento, Elk Grove, Stockton, Ceres, Turlock, Livingston, Madera, Fresno, Selma, Kerman, San Joaquin, Fowler, Porterville, Delano, Bakersfield, Arvin, Union City, Fremont, Hayward, and San Jose.
(i) Punjabi language is promoted and taught by institutions such as the Jakara Movement, Bakersfield Sikh Women’s Association, Punjabi Cultural Association (Fresno), Punjabi American Heritage Society (Yuba City), Punjabi language academies, Punjabi Sahit Academies, and Gurdwaras with Punjabi and Khalsa schools.
(j) The United States Census Bureau began reporting data for Punjabi language speakers in December, 2017.

SEC. 2.

 Section 7292.5 is added to the Government Code, to read:

7292.5.
 (a) Every state agency, as defined in Section 11000, shall update its data collection categories to match those used by the United States Census Bureau in the most recent update in December, 2017.
(b) (1) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (c), every state agency, as defined in Section 11000, that directly or by contract provides translations for language accessibility shall make provisions for the Punjabi language on or after ____.
(2) A state agency, as defined in Section 11000, shall recalculate its threshold languages in light of the United States census data around Punjabi to see if eligibility numbers are met.
(c) The following state agencies shall comply with this section as early as possible, but no later than ____:
(1) (A) The State Department of Health Care Services.
(B) In carrying out its duties pursuant to this section, the State Department of Health Care Services shall give priority to providing access in Punjabi to those services provided under the Medi-Cal Act (Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code).
(2) The State Department of Public Health.
(3) The State Department of Social Services.
(4) The State Department of Education.
(5) The Department of Fair Employment and Housing.
(6) The Department of Housing and Community Development.
(7) The Department of Food and Agriculture.
(8) The Department of Transportation.