NY State Senate Bill 2011-S7402

Senate Bill S7402

2011-2012 Legislative Session

Directs the Queens county board of elections to provide language assistance in Bengali, Punjabi and Hindi

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Elections Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
May 09, 2012	referred to elections

2011-S7402 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A9956
Current Committee:: Senate Elections
Law Section:: Election Law
Laws Affected:: Add §3-508, El L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2013-2014: S625, A1005
2015-2016: S6772, A3074
2017-2018: S3869, A5506
2019-2020: S2789, A4202
2021-2022: S3441, A9271
2023-2024: S1215, A642

2011-S7402 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Directs the Queens county board of elections to provide language assistance in Bengali, Punjabi and Hindi.

2011-S7402 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                BILL NUMBER:S7402

TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the election law, in relation to directing the Queens
county board of elections to provide language assistance in Bengali,
Punjabi and Hindi

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill directs the Queens county board of elections to provide writ-
ten language assistance in Bengali, Punjabi, and Hindi in order to
comply with the Language Assistance provisions of Section 203 of the
federal voting rights act of 1965 (42)(U.S.C 1973aa-1a).

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
The election-law is amended by adding a new section 3-508 which directs
the Queens county board of elections to provide written language assist-
ance in Bengali, Punjabi, and Hindi.  Since Asian-Indians in Queens
County are newly covered under the Language Assistance provisions of
See. 203 of the Federal Voting Rights Act and the three most spoken
languages among individuals of Asian-Indian origin are Bengali, Hindi
and Punjabi, the Board of Elections should provide written material in
those languages. This shall include but not be limited to ballots,
signs, voter mailings, employee and volunteer training materiel and
information on such board's website.

The board is also require to produce and distribute throughout the

district a booklet which includes a voter registration form in English
along with, in Bengali, Punjabi, and Hindi, instructions for registering
to vote, instructions for obtaining an absentee ballot, and a section
with general voter information including frequently asked questions. The
board may include other languages in the booklet and website as well.

This act shall take effect on the 120th day.

Effective immediately, the addition, amendment or repeal of any rules or
regulations for the implementation of this act on its effective date are
authorized to be made on or before such date.

JUSTIFICATION:
Since Asian-Indians in Queens County are newly covered under the
Language Assistance provisions of Sec. 203 of the federal Voting Rights
Act, this act will add the three most spoken Asian-Indian languages to
the Queens County ballot.

The data for Queens County indicates Bengali (also known as Bangla),
Punjabi and Hindi speakers, in that order, as the prevalence of those
with limited English proficiency (LEP) in Queens County (1).

(1) American Community Survey, Public Use Microdate Sample 2005-2009

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Minimal to state.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the 120th day. Effective immediately, the
addition amendment or repeal of any rules or regulations for the imple-
mentation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made on
or before such date.

2011-S7402 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  7402

                            I N  S E N A T E

                               May 9, 2012
                               ___________

Introduced  by Sen. STAVISKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections

AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to  directing  the  Queens
  county  board  of elections to provide language assistance in Bengali,
  Punjabi and Hindi

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1.  The election law is amended by adding a new section 3-508
to read as follows:
  S 3-508. QUEENS COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS; VOTING MATERIALS IN  BENGA-
LI,  PUNJABI  AND  HINDI.  THE  QUEENS  COUNTY  BOARD OF ELECTIONS SHALL
PROVIDE WRITTEN LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE IN THE BENGALI,  PUNJABI  AND  HINDI
LANGUAGES PURSUANT TO SECTION TWO HUNDRED THREE OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT
OF  NINETEEN  HUNDRED  SIXTY-FIVE  (42  U.S.C. 1973AA-1A). SUCH LANGUAGE
ASSISTANCE SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, BALLOTS,  SIGNS,  VOTER
MAILINGS,  EMPLOYEE  AND VOLUNTEER TRAINING MATERIALS AND INFORMATION ON
SUCH BOARD'S WEBSITE. IT SHALL ALSO PRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE COUNTYWIDE A
BOOKLET THAT INCLUDES: (A) A VOTER REGISTRATION  FORM  IN  ENGLISH  WITH
INSTRUCTIONS IN BENGALI, PUNJABI AND HINDI; (B) INSTRUCTIONS IN BENGALI,
PUNJABI  AND  HINDI  REGARDING  THE CRITERIA AND APPLICATION PROCESS FOR
OBTAINING AN ABSENTEE BALLOT; AND  (C)  A  SECTION  WITH  GENERAL  VOTER
INFORMATION  IN  BENGALI,  PUNJABI  AND HINDI INCLUDING FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS. SUCH BOARD MAY INCLUDE OTHER LANGUAGES ON ITS WEBSITE AND  IN
SUCH BOOKLET.
  S 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
it  shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
ment and/or repeal of any rules or regulations necessary for the  imple-
mentation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made on
or before such date.


 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD15330-02-2

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