Bill Text: CA SB1078 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Introduced

California Senate Bill 1078

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Language access.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)

Status: (Engrossed) 2024-08-15 - August 15 hearing: Held in committee and under submission. [SB1078 Detail]

Download: California-2023-SB1078-Introduced.html

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 1078

Introduced by Senator Min

February 12, 2024

An act relating to state government.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 1078, as introduced, Min. Language access.

Existing law, the Dymally-Alatorre Bilingual Services Act, requires every state agency directly involved in the furnishing of information or the rendering of services to the public where contact is made with a substantial number of non-English-speaking people to employ a sufficient number of qualified bilingual persons in public contact positions to ensure provision of information and services to the public in the language of the non-English-speaking person, except as specified.

This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to create an Office of Language Access to provide critical oversight, accountability, and coordination across various state agencies to ensure limited-English-proficient individuals have meaningful access to government programs and services, as specified.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NO Local Program: NO

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

SECTION 1.

It is the intent of the Legislature to create an Office of Language Access to provide critical oversight, accountability, and coordination across various state agencies to ensure limited-English-proficient individuals have meaningful access to government programs and services. It is the intent of the Legislature that the office will do both of the following:

(a) Be responsible for leading the development, monitoring, and periodic updating of agency language access plans with effective policies to ensure meaningful access to their services.

(b) Serve a central coordinating role for agencies’ language access coordinators with a focus on building a language services infrastructure to implement each agency’s language access plans and increase the provision of language assistance services, including translation and interpreting services, of the agencies through a range of options, including hiring in-house bilingual staff and contracting with third-party vendors and community-based organizations.