Bill Text: NY A04707 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires that telephone service provided by the state, a state agency, public authority or public benefit corporation be made available in English, Chinese, French Creole, Korean, Russian and Spanish.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-24 - enacting clause stricken [A04707 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-A04707-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          4707
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    February 3, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced by M. of A. DINOWITZ -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
        AN  ACT  to  amend the public authorities law, the executive law and the
          state finance law, in relation to requiring the provision of telephone
          service in other languages
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section  1.  The  public  authorities law is amended by adding two new
     2  sections 2858 and 2882 to read as follows:
     3    § 2858. Telephone service languages. 1. Any public authority or public
     4  benefit corporation that directly operates a telephone answering service
     5  to respond to inquiries, questions or complaints  made  by  the  general
     6  public,  including  the  residents  of the counties of Bronx, Kings, New
     7  York, Queens and Richmond, shall ensure that such service be provided in
     8  English, Chinese, French Creole, Korean, Russian and Spanish.
     9    2. (a) Commencing with calendar  year  two  thousand  twenty-two,  and
    10  every  five  years  thereafter,  any  public authority or public benefit
    11  corporation subject to the provisions of subdivision one of this section
    12  shall study and peruse the most  recent  population  data  compiled  and
    13  published  by  the  United  States  census bureau to determine whether a
    14  language other than those languages referred to in  subdivision  one  of
    15  this section is spoken by more than two per cent (2%) of the total resi-
    16  dents  of  the  counties of the Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens and Rich-
    17  mond.
    18    (b) If it is determined that a language  other  than  those  languages
    19  referred  to  in  subdivision one of this section is spoken by more than
    20  two per cent (2%) of the total residents of the counties of  the  Bronx,
    21  Kings,  New York, Queens and Richmond, the public authority shall ensure
    22  that such additional language is provided to the residents of such coun-
    23  ties as required by subdivision one of this section.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07605-01-7
        A. 4707                             2
     1    § 2882. Telephone service languages. 1. Notwithstanding any  provision
     2  of  law  to  the  contrary,  all  contracts, with a value of one million
     3  dollars or more, made and awarded by  any  public  authority  or  public
     4  benefit  corporation to operate or otherwise provide a telephone answer-
     5  ing service to respond to inquiries, questions or complaints made by the
     6  general public, including the residents of the counties of Bronx, Kings,
     7  New  York,  Queens  and  Richmond,  shall  require  that such service be
     8  provided in English, Chinese, French Creole, Korean, Russian  and  Span-
     9  ish.
    10    2.  (a)  Commencing  with  calendar  year two thousand twenty-two, and
    11  every five years thereafter, any  public  authority  or  public  benefit
    12  corporation subject to the provisions of subdivision one of this section
    13  shall  study  and  peruse  the  most recent population data compiled and
    14  published by the United States census  bureau  to  determine  whether  a
    15  language  other  than  those languages referred to in subdivision one of
    16  this section is spoken by more than two per cent (2%) of the total resi-
    17  dents of the counties of the Bronx, Kings, New York,  Queens  and  Rich-
    18  mond.
    19    (b)  If  it  is  determined that a language other than those languages
    20  referred to in subdivision one of this section is spoken  by  more  than
    21  two  per  cent (2%) of the total residents of the counties of the Bronx,
    22  Kings, New York, Queens and Richmond, the public authority shall  ensure
    23  that such additional language is provided to the residents of such coun-
    24  ties as required by subdivision one of this section.
    25    § 2. Article 7 of the executive law is amended by adding a new section
    26  171 to read as follows:
    27    § 171. Telephone service languages. 1. The state and any state agency,
    28  as  such  term is defined in paragraph (a) of subdivision one of section
    29  eighteen of the state finance law, that directly  operates  a  telephone
    30  answering  service to respond to inquiries, questions or complaints made
    31  by the general public, including the residents of the counties of Bronx,
    32  Kings, New York, Queens and Richmond, shall ensure that such service  be
    33  provided  in  English, Chinese, French Creole, Korean, Russian and Span-
    34  ish.
    35    2. (a) Commencing with calendar  year  two  thousand  twenty-two,  and
    36  every  five  years thereafter, the state and any state agency subject to
    37  the provisions of subdivision one of this section shall study and peruse
    38  the most recent population data compiled and  published  by  the  United
    39  States  census  bureau  to determine whether a language other than those
    40  languages referred to in subdivision one of this section  is  spoken  by
    41  more  than  two  per cent (2%) of the total residents of the counties of
    42  the Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens and Richmond.
    43    (b) If it is determined that a language  other  than  those  languages
    44  referred  to  in  subdivision one of this section is spoken by more than
    45  two per cent (2%) of the total residents of the counties of  the  Bronx,
    46  Kings,  New York, Queens and Richmond, the state or the applicable state
    47  agency shall ensure that such additional language  is  provided  to  the
    48  residents  of  such  counties  as  required  by  subdivision one of this
    49  section.
    50    § 3. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 139-l to
    51  read as follows:
    52    §  139-l.  Telephone  service  languages.  1.    Notwithstanding   any
    53  provision  of  law  to  the contrary, all contracts, with a value of one
    54  million dollars or more, made and awarded by  the  state  or  any  state
    55  agency,  as  such term is defined in paragraph (a) of subdivision one of
    56  section eighteen of this chapter, to  operate  or  otherwise  provide  a
        A. 4707                             3
     1  telephone  answering  service  to  respond  to  inquiries,  questions or
     2  complaints made by the general public, including the  residents  of  the
     3  counties  of  Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens and Richmond, shall require
     4  that  such service be provided in English, Chinese, French Creole, Kore-
     5  an, Russian and Spanish.
     6    2. (a) Commencing with calendar  year  two  thousand  twenty-two,  and
     7  every  five  years thereafter, the state and any state agency subject to
     8  the provisions of subdivision one of this section shall study and peruse
     9  the most recent population data compiled and  published  by  the  United
    10  States  census  bureau  to determine whether a language other than those
    11  languages referred to in subdivision one of this section  is  spoken  by
    12  more  than  two  per cent (2%) of the total residents of the counties of
    13  the Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens and Richmond.
    14    (b) If it is determined that a language  other  than  those  languages
    15  referred  to  in  subdivision one of this section is spoken by more than
    16  two per cent (2%) of the total residents of the counties of  the  Bronx,
    17  Kings,  New York, Queens and Richmond, the state or the applicable state
    18  agency shall ensure that such additional language  is  provided  to  the
    19  residents  of  such  counties  as  required  by  subdivision one of this
    20  section.
    21    § 4. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day  after  it  shall
    22  have  become a law and shall apply to all contracts awarded or in effect
    23  on or after such effective date.