S3408

The New York State Senate passed S3408, an education law amendment sponsored by Sen. Parker, on a 60-1 vote. The bill addresses diversity, equity, and inclusion in schools by providing economic incentives to retain bilingual teachers capable of offering cultural competency to multilingual student populations. Sen. Parker, speaking in favor, emphasized the bill's particular importance for school districts with large numbers of language-speaking students, citing examples from Queens schools where 90-100 languages are spoken. Parker noted his long-standing support for the measure, dating to his 2005 cosponsorship with then-Assemblyman Espaillat as part of the Democratic Task Force on New Americans. Only Sen. Oberacker voted against the measure. The bill takes effect immediately.

The Senate passed S3408, an Education Law amendment sponsored by Sen. Parker, on a 56-1 roll call vote. Sen. Oberacker cast the sole dissenting vote. The bill, which carried Calendar Number 292, takes effect immediately upon passage. No floor debate was recorded prior to the vote.