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1 | AN ACT concerning government.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Access | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | to Governmental Services Act. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | Section 5. Definitions.
In this Act: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 | "Equal access" means to be informed of, participate in, and
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8 | benefit from public services offered by a State agency, circuit
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9 | court, constitutional office, or State program at a level
equal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | to individuals who do not have limited English
proficiency. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | "Important documents" means application or informational
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12 | materials, websites, notices, and complaint forms offered by
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13 | State agencies, constitutional officers, circuit court clerks,
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14 | and State programs, as defined by rule by the appropriate State
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15 | agency, constitutional officer, circuit court clerk, or State
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16 | program. "Important documents" does not include
applications | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | and examinations related to the
licensure, certification, or | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | registration of businesses and
professionals. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | "Limited English proficiency" means: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | (1) indicated on
the U.S. Census as speaking a language | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | other than English and
speaking English "not well" or "not | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | at all"; or | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | (2) the inability to
adequately understand or express |
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1 | oneself in the spoken or
written English language.
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2 | "State program" means any program administered by a State
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3 | agency, but does not include any program administered, in whole
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4 | or in part, by a unit of local government or a school district,
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5 | regardless of whether State funds are expended under the
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6 | program. | ||||||
7 | "Sufficient number of qualified bilingual persons in
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8 | public contact positions" means the number of qualified
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9 | bilingual persons required in order to provide the same level
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10 | of service to non-English-speaking persons as is available to
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11 | English-speaking persons seeking the same service.
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12 | Section 10. Language access required; State agencies, | ||||||
13 | officers, and programs. | ||||||
14 | (a) Each State agency, constitutional officer, and State | ||||||
15 | program shall take reasonable steps to
provide equal access to | ||||||
16 | public services for individuals with
limited English | ||||||
17 | proficiency. Those reasonable steps to provide equal access to | ||||||
18 | public
services include, but are not limited to, the following: | ||||||
19 | (1) Having a sufficient number of qualified bilingual
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20 | persons in public contact positions or as interpreters to
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21 | assist persons in public contact positions in providing
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22 | services to individuals with limited English proficiency
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23 | when there is a documented substantial need due to the | ||||||
24 | nature or extent of contact
between a State agency, | ||||||
25 | constitutional officer, or State program and individuals |
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1 | with limited
English proficiency. | ||||||
2 | (2) Translating important documents ordinarily
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3 | provided to the public into any language spoken by any
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4 | limited-English-proficient population that constitutes at
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5 | least 3% of the overall population of the State, as | ||||||
6 | measured
by the U.S. Census.
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7 | (b) Nothing in this Act requires an executive branch State
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8 | agency to establish an office in a county where it would not
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9 | otherwise maintain an office. | ||||||
10 | Section 15. Language access required; circuit clerks. Each | ||||||
11 | circuit court clerk shall take reasonable steps to
provide | ||||||
12 | equal access to public services for individuals with
limited | ||||||
13 | English proficiency. Those reasonable steps to provide equal | ||||||
14 | access to public
services include, but are not limited to, the | ||||||
15 | following: | ||||||
16 | (1) Having a sufficient number of qualified bilingual
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17 | persons in public contact positions or as interpreters to
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18 | assist persons in public contact positions in providing
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19 | services to individuals with limited English proficiency
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20 | when there is a documented substantial need due to the | ||||||
21 | nature or extent of contact
between the circuit
court clerk | ||||||
22 | and individuals with limited
English proficiency. | ||||||
23 | (2) Translating important documents ordinarily
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24 | provided to the public into any language spoken by any
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25 | limited-English-proficient population that constitutes |
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1 | more than 5% of all residents of the county in which the | ||||||
2 | circuit clerk serves, as measured
by the U.S. Census. | ||||||
3 | Section 20. Rules. Each State agency, constitutional | ||||||
4 | officer, circuit
court clerk, and State program shall adopt | ||||||
5 | rules regarding the
requirements of this Act not less than 6 | ||||||
6 | months after the
effective date of this Act, or as soon | ||||||
7 | thereafter as
possible. | ||||||
8 | Section 25. Disputes; Illinois Human Rights Commission. | ||||||
9 | The Illinois Human Rights Commission shall implement a
process | ||||||
10 | to address disputes arising under this Act, including,
but not | ||||||
11 | limited to, disputes concerning the interpretation of
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12 | "important documents" and "sufficient number of qualified
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13 | bilingual persons in public contact positions" and agency
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14 | determinations of the offices where the services are provided. | ||||||
15 | The Commission shall implement this process
not less than 6 | ||||||
16 | months after the effective date of this Act, or as soon | ||||||
17 | thereafter as possible. | ||||||
18 | Section 30. State Language Assistance/Translator Services | ||||||
19 | Clearinghouse. The State Language Assistance/Translator | ||||||
20 | Services Clearinghouse is created within the Department of | ||||||
21 | Central Management Services to assist in preparing, review, and | ||||||
22 | approve, as to language-appropriateness, brochures and other | ||||||
23 | materials distributed to the public by State agencies and |
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1 | policy and procedure manuals used by State agencies in | ||||||
2 | delivering services to the public. The purpose of the | ||||||
3 | clearinghouse is to ensure the accuracy and effectiveness of | ||||||
4 | such materials and manuals.
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5 | Section 90. The Language Assistance Services Act is amended | ||||||
6 | by changing Section 15 as follows:
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7 | (210 ILCS 87/15)
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8 | Sec. 15. Language assistance services. To insure access to
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9 | health care information and services for
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10 | limited-English-speaking or non-English-speaking residents and | ||||||
11 | deaf residents,
a health facility must do both
one or more of | ||||||
12 | the following:
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13 | (1) Adopt and review annually a policy for providing | ||||||
14 | language assistance
services to patients with language or | ||||||
15 | communication barriers. The policy shall
include | ||||||
16 | procedures for providing, to the extent possible as | ||||||
17 | determined by the
facility, the use of an interpreter | ||||||
18 | whenever a language or communication
barrier
exists, | ||||||
19 | except where the patient, after being informed of the | ||||||
20 | availability of
the interpreter service, chooses to use a | ||||||
21 | family member or friend who
volunteers to interpret. The | ||||||
22 | procedures shall be designed to maximize
efficient use of | ||||||
23 | interpreters and minimize delays in providing interpreters | ||||||
24 | to
patients. The procedures shall insure, to the extent |
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1 | possible as determined
by the facility, that
interpreters | ||||||
2 | are available, either on the premises or accessible by | ||||||
3 | telephone,
24 hours a day. The facility shall annually | ||||||
4 | transmit to the Department of
Public Health a
copy of the | ||||||
5 | updated policy and shall include a description of the | ||||||
6 | facility's
efforts to
insure adequate and speedy | ||||||
7 | communication between patients with language or
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8 | communication barriers and staff.
Review existing policies | ||||||
9 | regarding interpreters for patients with
limited English | ||||||
10 | proficiency and for patients who are deaf, including the
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11 | availability of staff to act as interpreters.
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12 | (2) Provide its nonbilingual staff with standardized | ||||||
13 | picture and
phrase sheets for use in routine communications | ||||||
14 | with patients who have language
or communication barriers.
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15 | Adopt and review annually a policy for providing language | ||||||
16 | assistance
services to patients with language or | ||||||
17 | communication barriers. The policy shall
include | ||||||
18 | procedures for providing, to the extent possible as | ||||||
19 | determined by the
facility, the use of an interpreter | ||||||
20 | whenever a language or communication
barrier
exists, | ||||||
21 | except where the patient, after being informed of the | ||||||
22 | availability of
the interpreter service, chooses to use a | ||||||
23 | family member or friend who
volunteers to interpret. The | ||||||
24 | procedures shall be designed to maximize
efficient use of | ||||||
25 | interpreters and minimize delays in providing interpreters | ||||||
26 | to
patients. The procedures shall insure, to the extent |
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1 | possible as determined
by the facility, that
interpreters | ||||||
2 | are available, either on the premises or accessible by | ||||||
3 | telephone,
24 hours a day. The facility shall annually | ||||||
4 | transmit to the Department of
Public Health a
copy of the | ||||||
5 | updated policy and shall include a description of the | ||||||
6 | facility's
efforts to
insure adequate and speedy | ||||||
7 | communication between patients with language or
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8 | communication barriers and staff.
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9 | In addition, a health facility must do at least one of the | ||||||
10 | following:
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11 | (A) Review existing policies regarding interpreters | ||||||
12 | for patients with
limited English proficiency and for | ||||||
13 | patients who are deaf, including the
availability of staff | ||||||
14 | to act as interpreters.
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15 | (B)
(3) Develop, and post in conspicuous locations, | ||||||
16 | notices that advise patients
and their families of the | ||||||
17 | availability of interpreters, the procedure for
obtaining | ||||||
18 | an interpreter, and the telephone numbers to call for | ||||||
19 | filing
complaints concerning interpreter service problems, | ||||||
20 | including, but not limited
to, a
T.D.D. number for the | ||||||
21 | hearing impaired. The notices shall be posted, at a
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22 | minimum, in the emergency room, the admitting area, the | ||||||
23 | facility entrance, and
the
outpatient area. Notices shall | ||||||
24 | inform patients that interpreter services are
available on | ||||||
25 | request, shall list the languages for which interpreter | ||||||
26 | services
are available, and shall instruct patients to |
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1 | direct complaints regarding
interpreter services to the | ||||||
2 | Department of Public Health, including the
telephone
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3 | numbers to call for that purpose.
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4 | (C)
(4) Identify and record a patient's primary | ||||||
5 | language and dialect on one or
more of the following: a | ||||||
6 | patient medical chart, hospital bracelet,
bedside notice, | ||||||
7 | or nursing card.
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8 | (D)
(5) Prepare and maintain, as needed, a list of | ||||||
9 | interpreters who have
been identified as proficient in sign | ||||||
10 | language and in the languages of the
population of the | ||||||
11 | geographical area served by the facility who have the
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12 | ability to translate
the names of body parts, injuries, and | ||||||
13 | symptoms.
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14 | (E)
(6) Notify the facility's employees of the | ||||||
15 | facility's commitment to provide
interpreters to
all | ||||||
16 | patients who request them.
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17 | (F)
(7) Review all standardized written forms, | ||||||
18 | waivers, documents, and
informational materials available | ||||||
19 | to patients on admission to determine which
to translate | ||||||
20 | into languages other than English.
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21 | (8) Consider providing its nonbilingual staff with | ||||||
22 | standardized picture and
phrase sheets for use in routine | ||||||
23 | communications with patients who have language
or | ||||||
24 | communication barriers.
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25 | (G)
(9) Develop community liaison groups to enable the | ||||||
26 | facility and the
limited-English-speaking, |
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1 | non-English-speaking, and deaf communities to insure
the | ||||||
2 | adequacy of the
interpreter services.
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3 | (Source: P.A. 93-564, eff. 1-1-04.)
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