S3381A

The New York State Senate passed the Language Access Expansion Act (S3381A) on a 42-17 vote, expanding requirements for government document translations to serve immigrant and non-English-speaking communities. Sponsored by Sen. Kennedy, the legislation requires essential public documents be translated into the 12 most common non-English languages spoken across New York State, up from six languages mandated by a 2011 Executive order. The bill also establishes a regular review process based on U.S. Census data and recent immigrant populations, and directs state agencies to provide translations in the three most common non-English languages in each region. Kennedy argued the measure addresses disparities exposed during the pandemic, when immigrant communities lacked access to life-saving information. A significant portion of the bill was included in last year's budget, Kennedy noted. The legislation was developed in collaboration with the New York Immigration Coalition. All 17 nays came from Republican senators: Borrello, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Griffo, Helming, Lanza, Martins, Mattera, Murray, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Palumbo, Rhoads, Stec, Tedisco, Weber, and Weik.

The Senate passed Senate Print 3381A, sponsored by Sen. Kennedy, which amends the Executive Law. The bill received 46 votes in favor and 16 in opposition. Sixteen senators voted against the measure: Borrello, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Gallivan, Griffo, Lanza, Martins, Mattera, Murray, Oberacker, Ortt, Rolison, Stec, Tedisco, Walczyk, Weber and Weik. The bill takes effect immediately.