A 5972: Provides language translation services to accommodate census self-reporting.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5972 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY February 25, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. REYES, OTIS -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to providing language translation services to accommodate census self-reporting The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 154 to 2 read as follows: 3 § 154. Census-related translation services to state agencies and 4 localities. 1. Census-related translation services shall be extended to 5 those who express a need beyond the services provided by the United 6 States Census Bureau. The department of state, by and through the secre- 7 tary of state or duly authorized officers or employees, shall have the 8 following state agency and locality oversight functions, in regard to 9 census-related translation services: 10 (a) The department shall identify existing translation services, and 11 shall work with state agencies and other relevant state institutions to 12 determine if such translation services may be utilized as census-related 13 translation services. In addition to existing translation services, the 14 department shall work to identify expanded translation services which 15 shall include as many languages as possible, provided however that, such 16 expanded translation services, at a minimum, shall be made available in 17 all languages used within census self-reporting forms. 18 (b) The department shall connect state agencies, municipalities, and 19 other relevant state or local institutions with all identified trans- 20 lation services for the purposes of providing quality census-related 21 translation services to communities throughout the state of New York. 22 (c) To ensure the services listed in paragraph (a) of this subdivision 23 are effectively provided to the public, state agencies and localities 24 shall be required to notify the public of the availability of trans- 25 lation services identified for self-reporting in the decennial census. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD09595-01-5 
 A. 5972 2 1 Such notice shall include posting information online, working with any 2 relevant organizations to reach limited or non-proficient English speak- 3 ers, and any other means identified as effectively providing notice. 4 2. On or before April first of each year following a decennial census, 5 commencing after April first, two thousand twenty-eight, the department 6 shall submit a report to the governor, the director of the budget, the 7 speaker of the assembly and the temporary president of the senate on the 8 prior year's census-related translation services for limited English 9 proficiency speakers. The report shall identify the translation services 10 or programs utilized by state agencies, localities, and other relevant 11 state or local institutions for census-related translation services in 12 that year. In addition, the report shall include recommendations for the 13 improvement of these services for the following decennial census. 14 § 2. This act shall take effect April 1, 2027. Effective immediately, 15 the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation neces- 16 sary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are 17 authorized to be made and completed by the secretary of state on or 18 before such effective date.