Bill Text: NY A01327 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to providing language access services; requires the workers' compensation board to provide for translation of documents and interpretation services and to publish a language access plan.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-07-06 - enacting clause stricken [A01327 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A01327-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          1327
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    January 14, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced by M. of A. CRESPO -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Labor
        AN  ACT to amend the workers' compensation law, in relation to providing
          language access services
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section  1.  The  workers' compensation law is amended by adding a new
     2  section 17-a to read as follows:
     3    § 17-a. Limited English proficiency. 1. The board shall provide trans-
     4  lation of all documents and forms used by or issued to  injured  employ-
     5  ees.  The  translation  shall  be  in  the  six  most common non-English
     6  languages spoken by individuals with limited-English proficiency in  the
     7  state of New York.
     8    2.  The board shall provide interpretation services to injured employ-
     9  ees with respect to its provision of services, information and/or  bene-
    10  fits.
    11    3. The board shall publish a language access plan that reflects:
    12    (a) the means by which it provides language assistance services;
    13    (b) the titles of all available translated documents and the languages
    14  into which they have been translated;
    15    (c) the number of public contact positions at the board and the number
    16  of  bilingual  employees  in  public  contact  positions,  including the
    17  languages they speak;
    18    (d) a training plan for board employees which  includes,  at  minimum,
    19  annual  training  on  its  language  access  policies and how to provide
    20  language assistance services;
    21    (e) a plan for annual internal  monitoring  of  the  board's  language
    22  access plan;
    23    (f)  a  plan  of  how the board intends to notify injured employees of
    24  offered language assistant services; and
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07745-01-9
        A. 1327                             2
     1    (g) the appointment of a language access coordinator at the board, who
     2  shall be publicly identified.
     3    4.  The  language  access  coordinator for the board shall monitor the
     4  board's compliance with this section by annually collecting data on  the
     5  provision  of  language  assistance services, the availability of trans-
     6  lated materials, whether signage is properly posted, and any other rele-
     7  vant measures.
     8    § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
     9  have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
    10  repeal  of  any  rule  or regulation necessary for the implementation of
    11  this act on its effective date are authorized to be made  and  completed
    12  on or before such effective date.