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New York Senate Passes Bill to Increase Language Access

A bill requiring New York state agency websites to be translated into the 12 most widely spoken languages in the state has recently been passed in the state senate. Following the bill’s likely passage in the Democrat-majority State Assembly and its approval by Governor Andrew Cuomo, the state will have 30 days to translate webpages dealing with COVID-19-related information and 90 days to translate all other state agency webpages. 

New York ranks among the most linguistically diverse states in the nation, with about 5.6 million residents whose primary household language is a language other than English. As a result, proponents of Senate Bill S4716A (SB S4716A) argue that this legislation is a long overdue move that will improve the accessibility of official communications from the state government. “New York’s immigrant communities have suffered enough the last 14 months, we must make sure non-English speakers have full access to all parts of our state’s robust recovery plan,” said Senator Brad Hoylman, who has sponsored the bill alongside State Assembly member Yuh-Line Niou. Read more...