103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB3222

 

Introduced 2/17/2023, by Rep. Dagmara Avelar

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Office of Language Equity and Access Act. Provides that the Office of Language Equity and Access is created in the Governor's Office of New Americans to ensure equitable and meaningful access to State information, services, programs, and activities for persons who have limited English proficiency. Provides that the Director of the Office shall work with State agencies and use available resources within the Office of New Americans and Office of Equity to ensure that, among other things, each State agency takes reasonable steps to ensure meaningful access to services, programs, and activities by persons with limited English proficiency. Provides that the Office shall have a full-time Director who is bilingual and has experience in serving immigrant populations. Describes the duties and responsibilities of the Director. Provides that there shall be a bilingual employment plan, which would require designations of positions as bilingual and result in the hiring of qualified personnel who are bilingual. Provides that the Director shall comply with specified requirements concerning the need for interpreters and translators. Provides that the Director shall develop a template and mechanism for collecting, storing, and analyzing language access plans.


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A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Office
5of Language Equity and Access Act.
 
6    Section 5. Legislative purpose. The purpose of this Act is
7to ensure that all residents of the State have equal access to
8State services and, in particular, to remove language as a
9barrier for persons who have limited English proficiency and
10who are, therefore, excluded from equitable access to State
11information, programs, services, and activities. The purpose
12of the Office of Language Equity and Access is to lead
13statewide efforts to address language equity for residents
14with limited English proficiency and to ensure meaningful
15access to information, services, programs, and activities
16offered by State agencies, including departments, offices,
17commissions, boards, or other agencies, and all covered
18entities for persons who have limited English proficiency. It
19is the intent of the General Assembly for the State's work in
20ensuring meaningful access for persons with limited English
21proficiency to be guided by Executive Order No. 13166 and any
22succeeding provisions of federal law, regulation, or guidance.
 

 

 

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1    Section 10. Office of Language Equity and Access;
2creation. The Office of Language Equity and Access is created
3in the Governor's Office of New Americans to ensure equitable
4and meaningful access to State information, services,
5programs, and activities.
 
6    Section 15. Statewide language equity policies.
7    (a) The Office of Language Equity and Access shall develop
8comprehensive and consistent policies advancing meaningful
9access to State programs and resources for persons with
10limited English proficiency.
11    (b) The Office of Language Equity and Access shall monitor
12implementation of and compliance with the policies it develops
13under subsection (a).
14    (c) The policies developed by the Office of Language
15Equity and Access shall, at a minimum:
16        (1) establish requirements for the availability of
17    interpretation and translation services at State agencies;
18        (2) set standards for adequate staffing of bilingual
19    employees at State agencies, including standards for
20    monitoring implementation of the standards and standards
21    for updating the State Services Assurance Act, based on
22    current limited English population assessments conducted
23    under Section 20 of this Act;
24        (3) set standards for State agency language access
25    plan development and compliance; and

 

 

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1        (4) address other issues related to ensuring equity
2    for persons with limited English proficiency.
 
3    Section 20. Assessment of oral and written language
4services. The Director of the Office of Language Equity and
5Access shall work with State agencies and use available
6resources within the Office of New Americans and the Office of
7Equity to ensure the following:
8        (1) Each State agency and all covered entities shall
9    take reasonable steps to ensure meaningful access to
10    services, programs, and activities by persons with limited
11    English proficiency, which will be determined by the
12    totality of the circumstances, including the following
13    factors:
14            (A) the number or proportion of persons with
15        limited English proficiency served or encountered in
16        the eligible service population;
17            (B) the frequency with which persons with limited
18        English proficiency come in contact with the services,
19        programs, or activities;
20            (C) the nature and importance of the services,
21        programs, or activities; and
22            (D) the resources available to the State or
23        covered entity and the costs.
24        (2) Subject to subsection (a), each State agency and
25    covered entity shall provide competent, timely oral

 

 

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1    language services to persons with limited English
2    proficiency who seek to access information, services,
3    programs, or activities.
4        (3) Subject to subsection (a), each State agency and
5    covered entity shall provide written translations of vital
6    documents to limited English proficient persons who seek
7    to access information, services, programs, or activities,
8    as follows:
9            (A) written translations of vital documents for
10        each eligible limited English proficient group that
11        constitutes 5% or 1,000 members, whichever is less, of
12        the population of persons eligible to be served or
13        likely to be affected or encountered; or
14            (B) if there are fewer than 50 persons in a limited
15        English proficient group that reaches the 5% threshold
16        in paragraph (1), written notice in the primary
17        language to the limited English proficient language
18        group of the right to receive competent oral
19        interpretation of those written materials free of
20        cost.
 
21    Section 25. Duties and responsibilities.
22    (a) The Office of Language Equity and Access shall have a
23full-time Director who is bilingual and has experience in
24serving immigrant populations.
25    (b) The Director shall:

 

 

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1        (1) provide oversight, central coordination, and
2    technical assistance to State agencies in the State
3    agencies' implementation of language access requirements
4    under this Act or under any other law, regulation, or
5    guidance;
6        (2) provide technical assistance to covered entities
7    in the covered entities' implementation of this Act;
8        (3) review and monitor each State agency's language
9    access plan for compliance with this Act;
10        (4) consult with language access coordinators, the
11    language access advisory council, and State agency
12    directors or their equivalent;
13        (5) create, distribute, and make available to State
14    agencies multilingual signage in the more frequently
15    encountered languages in the State, and other languages as
16    needed, informing individuals of the individual's right to
17    free oral language services and how to request language
18    services; and
19        (6) create multilingual websites with information
20    about the Office of Language Equity and Access and
21    information about the policies, standards, plans, and
22    complaint processes developed and used by the Office of
23    Language Equity and Access.
24    (c) The Office of Language Equity and Access shall adopt
25administrative rules as necessary to implement this Act.
 

 

 

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1    Section 30. Bilingual employment plan.
2    (a) The Director shall prepare a bilingual employment
3plan.
4    (b) The Director shall coordinate with the Directors of
5other State agencies to designate specified positions in State
6agencies as bilingual positions.
7    (c) The Director shall work directly with State agencies
8to ensure appropriate levels of bilingual staff.
 
9    Section 35. Interpreters and translators. The Director
10shall also:
11        (1) identify or create a plan for certification of
12    qualified interpreters and translators;
13        (2) use certified qualified interpreters for legal,
14    administrative hearings, appeals, and health services;
15        (3) continue working with community partners who
16    provide navigation and advocacy in multiple languages,
17    without the need of certification;
18        (4) maintain a roster, or a method of accessing,
19    qualified interpreters and translators;
20        (5) maintain a procedure for accessing interpreters
21    and translators and train State agencies on how to utilize
22    the procedure; and
23        (6) monitor usage and provide oversight of the State's
24    language line vendor and make any necessary
25    recommendations for improving efficiency.
 

 

 

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1    Section 40. Language access plans.
2    (a) The Director shall develop a template and mechanism
3for collecting, storing, and analyzing language access plans.
4Language access plans are a key component of the Office of New
5Americans plans.
6    (b) Subsequent to the first submitted plan, language
7access plans shall include an assessment of performance
8metrics for the previous year.
9    (c) Upon review, the Director is responsible for providing
10feedback to each State agencies with corrective action
11recommendations to ensure compliance with the language access
12plans.
13    (d) Each State Agency designates a language access
14coordinator.
15    (e) Language access plans and evaluations are made public
16and accessible.
17    (f) The Director shall develop a rating framework for
18evaluation of language access plans and implementation.
 
19    Section 45. Administrative support. The Governor's Office
20of New Americans shall provide administrative and other
21support to the Office of Language Equity and Access.