Chapter 17.5. Use Of A Foreign Language In Public Services of California Government Code >> Division 7. >> Title 1. >> Chapter 17.5.
This chapter may be known and cited as the Dymally-Alatorre
Bilingual Services Act.
The Legislature hereby finds and declares that the effective
maintenance and development of a free and democratic society depends
on the right and ability of its citizens and residents to communicate
with their government and the right and ability of the government to
communicate with them.
The Legislature further finds and declares that substantial
numbers of persons who live, work and pay taxes in this state are
unable, either because they do not speak or write English at all, or
because their primary language is other than English, effectively to
communicate with their government. The Legislature further finds and
declares that state and local agency employees frequently are unable
to communicate with persons requiring their services because of this
language barrier. As a consequence, substantial numbers of persons
presently are being denied rights and benefits to which they would
otherwise be entitled.
It is the intention of the Legislature in enacting this chapter to
provide for effective communication between all levels of government
in this state and the people of this state who are precluded from
utilizing public services because of language barriers.
(a) Every state agency, as defined in Section 11000, except
the State Compensation Insurance Fund, directly involved in the
furnishing of information or the rendering of services to the public
whereby contact is made with a substantial number of
non-English-speaking people, shall employ a sufficient number of
qualified bilingual persons in public contact positions to ensure
provision of information and services to the public, in the language
of the non-English-speaking person.
(b) For the purposes of this chapter, the furnishing of
information or rendering of services includes, but is not limited to,
providing public safety, protection, or prevention, administering
state benefits, implementing public programs, managing public
resources or facilities, holding public hearings, and engaging in any
other state program or activity that involves public contact.
Every local public agency, as defined in Section 54951,
serving a substantial number of non-English-speaking people, shall
employ a sufficient number of qualified bilingual persons in public
contact positions or as interpreters to assist those in such
positions, to ensure provision of information and services in the
language of the non-English-speaking person. The determination of
what constitutes a substantial number of non-English-speak ing people
and a sufficient number of qualified bilingual persons shall be made
by the local agency.
An employee of a state or local agency, as defined by
Sections 11000 and 54951, may not be dismissed to carry out the
purposes of this chapter. A state or local public agency need only
implement this chapter by filling employee public contact positions
made vacant by retirement or normal attrition.
Any materials explaining services available to the public
shall be translated into any non-English language spoken by a
substantial number of the public served by the agency. Whenever
notice of the availability of materials explaining services available
is given, orally or in writing, it shall be given in English and in
the non-English language into which any materials have been
translated. The determination of when these materials are necessary
when dealing with local agencies shall be left to the discretion of
the local agency.
Every state agency which serves a substantial number of
non-English-speaking people and which provides materials in English
explaining services shall also provide the same type of materials in
any non-English language spoken by a substantial number of the public
served by the agency. Whenever notice of the availability of
materials explaining services available is given, orally or in
writing, it shall be given in English and in the non-English language
into which any materials have been translated. This section shall
not be interpreted to require verbatim translations of any materials
provided in English by a state agency.
Whenever a state agency finds that the factors listed in
both subdivisions (a) and (c) or (b) and (c) exist, it shall
distribute the applicable written materials in the appropriate
non-English language through its statewide and local offices or
facilities to non-English-speaking persons, or, as an alternative,
the state agency may instead elect to furnish translation aids,
translation guides, or provide assistance, through use of a qualified
bilingual person, at its statewide and local offices or facilities
in completing English forms or questionnaires and in understanding
English forms, letters, or notices:
(a) The written materials, whether forms, applications,
questionnaires, letters, or notices solicit or require the furnishing
of information from an individual or provide that individual with
information.
(b) The information solicited, required, or furnished affects or
may affect the individual's rights, duties, or privileges with regard
to that agency's services or benefits.
(c) The statewide or local office or facility of the agency with
which the individual is dealing, serves a substantial number of
non-English-speaking persons.
(a) As used in this chapter, a "qualified bilingual person,"
"qualified bilingual employee," or "qualified interpreter" is a
person who is proficient in both the English language and the
non-English language to be used. For any state agency, "qualified"
means one of the following:
(1) A bilingual person or employee who the Department of Human
Resources has tested and certified as proficient in the ability to
understand and convey in English and a non-English language commonly
used terms and ideas, including terms and ideas regularly used in
state government.
(2) A bilingual employee who was tested and certified by a state
agency or other approved testing authority as proficient in the
ability to understand and convey in English and a non-English
language commonly used terms and ideas, including terms and ideas
regularly used in state government.
(3) An interpreter who has met the testing or certification
standards for outside or contract interpreters, as proficient in the
ability to communicate commonly used terms and ideas between the
English language and the non-English language to be used and has
knowledge of basic interpreter practices, including, but not limited
to, confidentiality, neutrality, accuracy, completeness, and
transparency.
(b) The determination of what constitutes "qualified" for local
agencies, shall be left to the discretion of the local agency.
As used in Sections 7292, 7295.2, 7295.4, 7299.3, and
7299.4, a "substantial number of non-English-speaking people" are
members of a group who either do not speak English, or who are unable
to effectively communicate in English because it is not their native
language, and who comprise 5 percent or more of the people served by
the statewide or any local office or facility of a state agency.
As used in Section 7292, "a sufficient number of qualified
bilingual persons in public contact positions" is the number required
to provide the same level of services to non-English-speaking
persons as is available to English-speaking persons seeking these
services. However, where the statewide or local office or facility of
the state employs the equivalent of 25 or fewer regular, full-time
employees, it shall constitute compliance with the requirements of
this chapter if a sufficient number of qualified bilingual persons
are employed in public contact positions, or as qualified
interpreters to assist those in those positions, to provide the same
level of services to non-English-speaking persons as is available to
English-speaking persons seeking the services from the office or
facility.
As used in this chapter, a "public contact position" is a
position determined by the agency to be one which emphasizes the
ability to meet, contact and deal with the public in the performance
of the agency's functions.
The provisions of this chapter are not applicable to school
districts, county boards of education, or the office of a county
superintendent of schools.
The provisions of this act shall be implemented to the extent
that local, state or federal funds are available, and to the extent
permissible under federal law and the provisions of civil service law
governing the state and local agencies.
State agencies may, utilizing existing funds, contract for
telephone-based interpretation services in addition to employing
qualified bilingual persons in public contact positions.
The Department of Human Resources shall be responsible for
informing state agencies of their responsibilities under this chapter
and providing state agencies with technical assistance, upon request
on a reimbursable basis.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, by
July 1, 2015, a state agency subject to the requirements of this
chapter shall translate and make accessible on the homepage of its
Internet Web site, forms and processes for submitting complaints of
alleged violations of this chapter, as referenced in paragraph (15)
of subdivision (b) of Section 7299.4. The forms and processes shall
be translated into all languages spoken by a substantial number of
non-English-speaking people served by the state agency. Translated
copies of the forms shall be printed and made available in the
statewide office and any local office or facility of the state
agency.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision in this chapter,
each state agency shall conduct a language survey and develop and
update an implementation plan that complies with the requirements of
this chapter.
(b) Each agency shall conduct a language survey of each of its
statewide and local offices every two years to determine and provide
all of the following:
(1) The name, position, and contact information of the employee
designated by the agency responsible for complying with this chapter.
(2) The number of public contact positions in each statewide and
local office.
(3) The number of qualified bilingual employees in public contact
positions in each statewide and local office, and the languages they
speak, other than English.
(4) The number and percentage of non-English-speaking people
served by each statewide and local office, broken down by native
language.
(5) The number of anticipated vacancies in public contact
positions.
(6) Whether the use of other available options, including
contracted telephone-based interpretation services, in addition to
qualified bilingual persons in public contact positions, is serving
the language needs of the people served by the agency.
(7) A list of all written materials that are required to be
translated or otherwise made accessible to non- or
limited-English-speaking individuals by Sections 7295.2 and 7295.4.
(8) A list of materials identified in paragraph (7) that have been
translated and languages into which they have been translated.
(9) The number of additional qualified bilingual public contact
staff, if any, needed at each statewide and local office to comply
with this chapter.
(10) A detailed description of the agency's procedures for
identifying written materials that are required to be translated.
(11) Each agency shall calculate the percentage of
non-English-speaking people served by each statewide and local office
by rounding the percentage arrived at to the nearest whole
percentage point.
(12) A detailed description of the agency's procedures for
identifying language needs at statewide and local offices and
assigning qualified bilingual staff to those offices.
(13) A detailed description of how the agency recruits qualified
bilingual staff in statewide and local offices.
(14) A detailed description of any training the agency provides to
its staff on the provision of services to non- or
limited-English-speaking individuals, frequency of training, and date
of most recent training.
(15) A detailed description of complaints regarding language
access received by the agency and the agency's procedures for
accepting and resolving complaints of an alleged violation due to
failure to make available translated documents or provide interpreter
service through bilingual staff or contract services.
(16) A detailed description of how the agency complies with any
federal or other state laws that require the provision of
linguistically accessible services to the public.
(17) Any other relevant information requested by the Department of
Human Resources.
(c) The language survey results and any additional information
requested shall be reported in the form and at the time required by
the Department of Human Resources, and delivered to the department
not later than October 1 of every even-numbered year.
(d) Every odd-numbered year, each agency that served a substantial
number of non-English-speaking people shall develop an
implementation plan that provides a detailed description of how the
agency plans to address any deficiencies in meeting the requirements
of this chapter, including, but not limited to, the failure to
translate written materials or employ sufficient numbers of qualified
bilingual employees in public contact positions at statewide and
local offices, the proposed actions to be taken to address the
deficiencies, and the proposed dates by when the deficiencies will be
remedied.
(e) In developing its implementation plan, each state agency may
rely upon data gathered from its most recent language survey.
(f) Each state agency shall submit its implementation plan to the
Department of Human Resources no later than October 1 of each
applicable year. The Department of Human Resources shall review each
implementation plan, and, if it determines that the implementation
plan fails to address the identified deficiencies, shall order the
agency to supplement or make changes to its plan. A state agency that
has been determined to be deficient shall report to the Department
of Human Resources every six months on its progress in addressing the
identified deficiencies.
(g) If the Department of Human Resources determines that a state
agency has not made reasonable progress toward complying with this
chapter, the department shall issue orders that it deems appropriate
to effectuate the purposes of this chapter.
The Department of Human Resources may exempt state agencies
from the requirements of Section 7299.4, where it determines that
any of the following conditions apply:
(a) The agency's primary mission does not include responsibility
for furnishing information or rendering services to the public.
(b) The agency has consistently received such limited public
contact with the non-English-speaking public that it has not been
required to employ bilingual staff under Section 7292 and the agency
employs fewer than the equivalent of 25 full-time employees in public
contact positions.
In order to receive an exemption, each state agency shall petition
the Department of Human Resources for the exemption and receive
approval in writing by the date established by the department. An
agency may receive an exemption for up to five survey cycles, if it
demonstrates that it meets the requirements of subdivision (a) or
(b), and provides all required documentation to the Department of
Human Resources.
The Department of Human Resources shall review the results
of the surveys and implementation plans required to be made by
Section 7299.4, compile this data, and provide a report to the
Legislature every two years. The report shall identify significant
problems or deficiencies and propose solutions where warranted.
It is not the intent of the Legislature in enacting this
chapter to prohibit the establishment of bilingual positions, or
printing of materials, or use of qualified interpreters, where less
than 5 percent of the people served do not speak English or are
unable to communicate effectively, as determined appropriate by the
state or local agency. It is not the intent of the Legislature in
enacting this chapter to require that all public contact positions be
filled with qualified bilingual persons.