S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7780
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               June 15, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. SIMON -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Social Services
 
 AN ACT to amend  the  social  services  law,  in  relation  to  ensuring
   adequate access to information by individuals who have limited English
   proficiency
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 95-a of the  social  services  law  is  amended  by
 adding a new subdivision 9 to read as follows:
   9.  (A)  THE  DEPARTMENT  SHALL DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A PLAN TO ENSURE
 ADEQUATE ACCESS TO INFORMATION BY INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE  LIMITED  ENGLISH
 PROFICIENCY  OR  OTHERWISE  REQUIRE COMMUNICATION ASSISTANCE.   NOTWITH-
 STANDING THE PROVISIONS OF ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL  OR  LOCAL  LAW  TO  THE
 CONTRARY, AND SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL:
   (I) TRANSLATE NECESSARY DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, FORMS
 AND  INSTRUCTIONS  PROVIDED TO OR COMPLETED BY THE PROGRAM BENEFICIARIES
 OR PARTICIPANTS, INTO  THE  TWELVE  MOST  COMMON  NON-ENGLISH  LANGUAGES
 SPOKEN  BY  INDIVIDUALS  WITH  LIMITED-ENGLISH  PROFICIENCY  IN NEW YORK
 STATE, BASED ON UNITED STATES CENSUS DATA.    PURSUANT  TO  SECTION  TWO
 HUNDRED  TWO-A  OF  THE  EXECUTIVE  LAW,  THE  DEPARTMENT  MAY,  IN  ITS
 DISCRETION, OFFER UP TO FOUR ADDITIONAL LANGUAGES BEYOND THE TWELVE MOST
 COMMON LANGUAGES. SUCH ADDITIONAL LANGUAGES SHALL BE DETERMINED  BY  THE
 PROVISIONS ESTABLISHED IN SUCH SECTION TWO HUNDRED TWO-A.
   (II)  OFFER,  UPON REQUEST, INTERPRETATION SERVICES BETWEEN THE ENTITY
 ADMINISTERING THE PROGRAM AND  AN  INDIVIDUAL  IN  HIS  OR  HER  PRIMARY
 LANGUAGE WITH RESPECT TO THE PROVISION OF SERVICES OR BENEFITS; AND
   (III)  OFFER,  UPON REQUEST OR DEMONSTRATED NEED, SERVICES TO AN INDI-
 VIDUAL WHO REQUIRES ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE DUE TO PARTIAL OR TOTAL  DEAF-
 NESS, BLINDNESS, SPEECH IMPEDIMENT, OR COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT; AND
   (IV)  SUBJECT  TO APPROPRIATION, WORK WITH THE OFFICE FOR THE AGING TO
 PROVIDE ADDITIONAL TRANSLATION SERVICES TO BOTH AGENCIES TO ASSIST  WITH
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD09717-01-3
              

 A. 7780                             2
 
 INFORMING  LOW-INCOME  AND  ELDERLY  HOUSEHOLDS  POTENTIALLY ELIGIBLE TO
 RECEIVE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM BENEFITS.
   (B)  EACH  COMMISSIONER  OF SOCIAL SERVICES SHALL RETAIN DISCRETION TO
 OFFER ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE TRANSLATION SERVICES TO LOW-INCOME RECIPIENTS,
 AS NECESSARY.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
 have  become  a  law;  provided, however, that the amendments to section
 95-a of the social services law made by section one of  this  act  shall
 not  affect  the  expiration  and reversion of such section and shall be
 deemed to expire therewith.