NY State Senate Bill 2021-S3441

Senate Bill S3441

2021-2022 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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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 05, 2022	referred to elections
Jan 29, 2021	referred to elections

co-Sponsors

2021-S3441 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A9271
Current Committee:: Senate Elections
Law Section:: Election Law
Laws Affected:: Add §3-508, El L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2011-2012: S7402, A9956
2013-2014: S625, A1005
2015-2016: S6772, A3074
2017-2018: S3869, A5506
2019-2020: S2789, A4202
2023-2024: S1215, A642

2021-S3441 (ACTIVE) - Summary

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

2021-S3441 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S3441

SPONSOR: COMRIE
 
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:

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.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

This bill directs the Queens county board of elections to provide writ-
ten language assistance in Bengali, Punjabi, and flinch in order to
comply with the Language Assistance Provisions of Section 203 of the

federal voting rights act of 1965.

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 Coun-
ty 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 after it shall have become
law.

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.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
S 3869 COMRIE Same as A 5506 Weprin (MS)

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Minimal to State.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the 120th day after it shall have become
law. 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.

2021-S3441 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3441
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 29, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  COMRIE, KRUEGER, SEPULVEDA, SERRANO -- 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:
   § 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.
   § 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.
                                                            LBD07981-01-1

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Senate Bill S3441

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Sponsored By

Leroy Comrie