98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
HB5794

 

Introduced , by Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Language Assistance Services Act. Sets forth the General Assembly's findings and purpose. Requires each agency to prepare a language assistance services plan that will improve access for limited English proficient persons to the agency's State-conducted and State-assisted programs and activities. Sets forth guidelines regarding the contents of agency language assistance services plans. Requires each agency to file its language assistance services plan with the Illinois Latino Family Commission on or before May 31, 2015, and on or before every May 31 thereafter. Requires that agencies have minimum bilingual staffing levels. Requires each agency to conduct at least one annual staff training regarding the agency's existing language assistance services plan, the agency's need to provide qualified interpreters to limited English proficient persons, and interpreter use. Requires each agency to assign a senior-level staff person to oversee the implementation of the agency's language assistance services plan. Effective January 1, 2015.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2    WHEREAS, It is the intent of the State of Illinois that the
3provision of State services and benefits comply with Title VI
4of the Civil Rights Act of 1965, Executive Order 13166, and
5succeeding provisions of federal law, regulation, or guidance;
6therefore,
 
7    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
8represented in the General Assembly:
 
9    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
10Language Assistance Services Act.
 
11    Section 5. Findings and purpose.
12    (a) The General Assembly finds:
13        (1) language barriers continue to impede limited
14    English proficient persons in this State from fully
15    participating in State programs and services;
16        (2) 22.7% of the population in this State speak a
17    language other than English at home;
18        (3) more than half of those who speak a language other
19    than English at home are Spanish language speakers; and
20        (4) of the 22.7% of Illinoisans who reportedly speak a
21    language other than English at home, 22% speak English
22    either "not well" or "not at all".

 

 

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1    (b) It is the intent of the General Assembly to:
2        (1) ensure that limited English proficient persons in
3    this State are provided meaningful access to State
4    programs, services, and information;
5        (2) ensure that every agency and recipient of State
6    funds provide language assistance services to limited
7    English proficient individuals;
8        (3) ensure that State-conducted and funded programs,
9    services, and activities provide limited English
10    proficient persons appropriate language assistance
11    services;
12        (4) increase access to State benefits and programs;
13        (5) improve efficiency in the provision of benefits and
14    services;
15        (6) enhance and ensure appropriate resource
16    utilization; and
17        (7) improve access to State benefits, programs, and
18    services to vulnerable populations.
 
19    Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
20    "Agency" means all State government agencies,
21constitutional offices, boards, and commissions, and all
22recipients of State general revenue funds, including, but not
23limited to, all agencies, organizations, and persons receiving
24State funding in order to provide a program or service and lead
25an activity.

 

 

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1    "Bilingual" means a person who has some degree of
2proficiency in 2 languages.
3    "Customer" or "client" means any person seeking to access
4agency programs, services, activities, or information.
5    "Interpreter" means an individual who renders a message
6spoken or signed in one language into a second language and who
7abides by a code of professional ethics. "Interpreter" includes
8any of the following:
9        (1) "Ad hoc interpreter" means an untrained individual
10    who is called upon to interpret, such as a family member
11    interpreting for his or her parents, a bilingual staff
12    member pulled away from other duties to interpret, or a
13    self-declared bilingual who volunteers to interpret. "Ad
14    hoc interpreter" may also be referred to as a chance
15    interpreter or lay interpreter.
16        (2) "Bilingual worker/employee" means an employee who
17    is a proficient speaker of two languages and who may
18    provide direct services in both languages but who, without
19    additional training, is not qualified to serve as an
20    interpreter.
21        (3) "Dual-role interpreter" means a bilingual employee
22    who has been tested for language skills and trained as an
23    interpreter and who assumes the task of part-time
24    interpreting willingly.
25    "Interpreting" means any of the following:
26        (1) "Community interpreting" means interpreting that

 

 

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1    takes place in the course of communication in the local
2    community among speakers of different languages. A
3    "community interpreter" may or may not be a trained
4    interpreter. "Community" settings include schools, social
5    service agencies, clinics, legal services, and businesses
6    that serve a diverse clientele.
7        (2) "Face-to-face interpreting" means interpreting in
8    which the interpreter is present, in person, and with both,
9    or a least one, of the persons for whom interpreting is
10    provided.
11        (3) "Telephone interpreting" or "telephonic
12    interpreting" means interpreting carried out remotely,
13    with the interpreter providing the service connected by
14    telephone to the principal parties, typically provided
15    through a speaker phone or headsets.
16    "Language" means a manner of communication utilized by one
17person to communicate with another person.
18    "Language assistance services" (LAS) means mechanisms used
19to facilitate communication with individuals who do not speak
20English, those who have limited English proficiency, and those
21who are deaf or hard of hearing. These services may include,
22but are not limited to, in-person interpreters, bilingual
23staff, or remote interpreting systems, such as telephone or
24video interpreting. "Language assistance services" also refer
25to processes in place to provide translation of written
26materials or signage, sign language, or Braille materials.

 

 

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1    "Limited English proficient" (LEP) means a level of English
2proficiency that is insufficient to ensure equal access to
3public services without language assistance with respect to a
4particular type of service, benefit, or encounter.
5    "Meaningful access" means when agencies and their
6contractors and subcontractors take reasonable steps to ensure
7their services and programs are accessible to LEP persons.
8Compliance involves the balancing of 4 factors: (1) the number
9and proportion of eligible LEP customers; (2) the frequency of
10contact with LEP customers; (3) the importance or impact of the
11contact upon the lives of the person served; and (4) the
12resources available to the organization. This 4-factor LEP
13analysis may be applied to the different types of programs or
14activities that each agency provides to determine the level of
15language assistance measures sufficient to assure full
16compliance or to demonstrate reasonable efforts.
17    "Person" means any individual, corporation, partnership,
18firm, organization, or association acting individually or as a
19group.
20    "Reasonable steps" means steps taken to provide language
21assistance services to LEP persons in agreement with this Act
22and in compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of
231964.
24    "Staff" means the group of individuals formally affiliated
25with an institution, including paid employees, contractors,
26sub-contractors, and unpaid volunteers.

 

 

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1    "State" means the State of Illinois.
2    "Translation services" means the conversion of a written
3text into a corresponding written text in a different language.
 
4    Section 15. State-conducted programs and activities.
5    (a) Each agency shall prepare an LAS Plan that shall
6improve access to its State-conducted programs and activities
7for eligible LEP persons.
8    (b) Each agency LAS Plan shall include the steps the agency
9will take to ensure eligible LEP persons can meaningfully
10access the agency's programs and activities.
11    (c) Agencies shall develop and begin to implement LAS Plans
12within 120 days of the effective date of this Act and shall
13send copies of their LAS Plans to the Illinois Latino Family
14Commission, which shall serve as the central repository of the
15agencies' LAS Plans.
16    (d) Each agency that already has developed a LAS Plan shall
17examine their existing guidelines, as well as their programs
18and activities, to determine if additional guidelines are
19necessary to comply with this Act. The Illinois Latino Family
20Commission shall consult with the agencies in creating their
21guidelines. Within 120 days of the effective date of this Act,
22each agency shall submit its specific guidelines to the
23Illinois Latino Family Commission for review and approval.
24    (e) Agency LAS Plans shall provide:
25        (1) A 4-factor meaningful access assessment that shall

 

 

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1    include:
2            (A) the number or proportion of LEP persons
3        eligible to be served or likely to be encountered by
4        the program or agency;
5            (B) the frequency with which LEP individuals come
6        into contact with the program;
7            (C) the nature and importance of the program,
8        activity, or service provided by the recipient to its
9        beneficiaries; and
10            (D) the resources available to the agency and the
11        costs of interpretation and translation services.
12        (2) A language needs assessment tool based on the
13    4-factor analysis to establish:
14            (A) a systemic protocol of data collection; and
15            (B) tracking of languages served and eligible to be
16        served.
17        (3) All print materials, Internet website language,
18    and other mechanisms or forms that shall be used by the
19    agency to provide notice to persons of the agency's LAS
20    Plan.
21        (4) Agency compliance with Sections 25 and 30 of this
22    Act.
23    (f) Each agency shall file its LAS Plan Status Report with
24the Illinois Latino Family Commission on an annual basis. The
25first Status Report shall be filed by each agency on or before
26May 31, 2015, and on or before every May 31 thereafter.
 

 

 

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1    Section 20. State-assisted programs and activities.
2    (a) Each agency providing State financial assistance and
3each agency contracted by the State to provide services shall
4prepare an LAS Plan that shall be specifically tailored to its
5LEP clients and is consistent with the LEP Guidelines in this
6Act, as well as with rules adopted pursuant to this Act.
7    (b) Each agency LAS Plan shall include the steps the agency
8will take to ensure eligible LEP persons can meaningfully
9access the agency's programs and activities.
10    (c) Each agency shall develop and begin to implement their
11LAS Plans within 120 days of the effective date of this Act and
12shall send copies of their LAS Plans to the Illinois Latino
13Family Commission, which shall serve as the central repository
14of the agencies' LAS Plans.
15    (d) Agency LAS Plans shall include:
16        (1) the number or proportion of LEP persons eligible to
17    be served or likely to be encountered by the program or
18    grantee;
19        (2) the frequency with which LEP persons come into
20    contact with the program;
21        (3) the nature and importance of the program, activity,
22    or service provided by the recipient to its beneficiaries;
23        (4) the resources available to the grantee or recipient
24    and the costs of interpretation and translation services;
25        (5) a language needs assessment tool based on the

 

 

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1    4-factor analysis to establish a systemic protocol of data
2    collection and tracking of languages served and eligible to
3    be served; and
4        (6) all print materials, Internet website language,
5    and other mechanisms or forms that shall be used by the
6    agency to provide notice to persons of the agency's LAS
7    Plan.
8    (e) Each agency shall file its LAS Plan Status Report with
9the Illinois Latino Family Commission on an annual basis. The
10first Status Report shall be filed by each agency on or before
11May 31, 2015, and on or before every May 31 thereafter.
 
12    Section 25. Staffing of State-conducted programs.
13    (a) Agencies shall have minimum bilingual staffing levels
14and requirements.
15        (1) For agency staff with a 15% or more LEP person
16    caseload, the position shall be designated "bilingual". A
17    position designated "bilingual" shall not be filled by a
18    monolingual staff person. A reclassification of staff
19    positions from "bilingual" to "monolingual" shall require
20    the approval of the Governor's Office of New Americans.
21        (2) Each agency shall assess language proficiency
22    using a formal written and oral examination. The staff
23    person's score in the examination shall determine
24    qualified bilingual persons that can offer direct
25    conversations to the LEP client.

 

 

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1    (b) State agencies shall provide interpreters who have
2received a minimum of 100 hours of interpreter training on
3techniques and professional standards of practice. Each State
4agency shall:
5        (1) create an internal pool of trained and qualified
6    interpreters using a 100-hour curriculum;
7        (2) develop and make accessible to all agency staff a
8    complete and up-to-date directory of qualified
9    interpreters utilized by the agency; and
10        (3) assess and build current LAS resources and provide
11    a reliable method of communicating these resources to state
12    agencies.
 
13    Section 30. Language Assistance Protocol.
14    (a) Each agency shall conduct at least one annual staff
15training on the following:
16        (1) the agency's existing LAS Plans;
17        (2) the agency's need to provide qualified
18    interpreters to LEP clients; and
19        (3) interpreter use, including, but not limited to,
20    interpreter competencies, professional standards of
21    practice, interpreter code of ethics, and quality of
22    service.
23    (b) Each agency shall assign a senior-level staff person to
24oversee implementation of the agency's LAS Plan and to monitor
25internal LAS initiatives, programs, filings, and

 

 

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1communications.
 
2    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January
31, 2015.