Language access.

Assembly Members Nguyen and Lee's language access legislation expands California's requirements for serving non-English speakers while establishing new oversight mechanisms to ensure effective implementation. The bill modifies the Dymally-Alatorre Bilingual Services Act to include individuals eligible for state services, not just current recipients, when determining language assistance needs.

State agencies must now conduct comprehensive language needs assessments every two years, incorporating census data, education statistics, and community input to identify populations requiring translation and interpretation services. The assessments will determine staffing requirements for bilingual positions and guide the translation of vital documents. Agencies must develop detailed implementation plans to address any gaps in language access services.

The legislation creates a Language Access Director position within the California Health and Human Services Agency to coordinate these efforts. This director will oversee language access plans across departments, ensure the use of qualified interpreters and translators, and engage with limited English proficient and deaf/hard of hearing communities starting in 2027. The position will be funded through existing budget appropriations to support expanded language services and compliance monitoring.

The Department of Human Resources gains enhanced oversight authority, reviewing agency assessments and implementation plans while ordering corrective actions when deficiencies persist. The department must report findings to the Legislature every two years, including each agency's language assessment results and progress toward meeting access requirements.