New York Codes, Rules and Regulations › Title 9 - EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT › Subtitle A - Governor's Office › Chapter I - Executive Orders › Part 8 - Executive Orders (Andrew M. Cuomo) › Section 8.26 - Executive order. no. 26: statewide language access policy

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 28, July 10, 2024
WHEREAS, two and one-half million New Yorkers have
					 limited-English proficiency which means they do not speak English as their
					 primary language and have limited ability to read, speak, write or understand
					 English, thereby presenting potential barriers to accessing important
					 government programs or services; and
WHEREAS, the public safety, health, economic prosperity,
					 and general welfare of all New York residents is furthered by increasing
					 language access to State programs and services; and
WHEREAS, the State is committed to ensuring that language
					 access services are implemented in a cost effective and efficient
					 manner;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State
					 of New York, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
					 laws of the State of New York, do hereby order as follows:
1. Executive State agencies that provide
				  direct public services shall translate vital documents, including essential
				  public documents such as forms and instructions provided to or completed by
				  program beneficiaries or participants. The translation shall be in the six most
				  common non-English languages spoken by individuals with limited-English
				  proficiency in the State of New York, based on United States census data, and
				  relevant to services offered by each of such agencies. Translation shall be
				  achieved on a rolling basis to be completed no later than 365 days of the
				  signing of this Order.
2. Each such
				  agency shall provide interpretation services between the agency and an
				  individual in his or her primary language with respect to the provision of
				  services or benefits.
3. Each such
				  agency shall publish a language access plan that will reflect how the agency
				  will comply with this Order and all progress since it last submitted a language
				  access plan. Such plan shall be issued within 90 days of the signing of this
				  Order, and updated every two years thereafter.
4. Each language access plan shall set forth,
				  at a minimum, the following:
a. When and by
				  what means the agency will provide or is already providing language assistance
				  services;
b. The titles of all
				  available translated documents and the languages into which they have been
				  translated;
c. The number of public
				  contact positions in the agency and the number of bilingual employees in public
				  contact positions, including the languages they speak;
d. A training plan for agency employees which
				  includes, at minimum, annual training on the language access policies of the
				  agency and how to provide language assistance services;
e. A plan for annual internal monitoring of
				  the agency's compliance with this Order;
f. A plan of how the agency intends to notify
				  the population of offered language assistant services; and g. A language access
				  coordinator at the agency, who shall be publicly identified.