State Laws and Policies that Impact Language Access
Access Initiative , which was launched in December 2022 . Key objectives of this initiative include : developing technical assistance resources and tools to assist law enforcement agencies in providing LEP individuals with meaningful language access in their jurisdictions , affirmatively engaging law enforcement agencies in updating their language access policies , plans , and training , leveraging collaboration with U . S . Attorneys ’ Offices to conduct training and encourage adoption of language access best practices , and strengthening engagement with LEP community stakeholders . On December 12 , 2023 , the Department of Justice published a letter to Law Enforcement Agencies ( LEA ) reminding them of their responsibility to provide meaningful access to LEP persons . The Department of Justice also conducted a webinar to share best practices and resources with LEAs about training , grants , and other types of support for language access implementation . Get more information about the project .
State Laws and Policies that Impact Language Access
Beyond the federal policy landscape , there are several state laws and policies in California that address language rights . These include the Dymally-Alatorre Bilingual Services Act , the Unruh Civil Rights Act , Government Code § 11135 , and more .
Enacted in 1973 , the Dymally-Alatorre Bilingual Services Act applies to state government agencies and was adopted to ensure that language barriers do not prevent individuals
5 from accessing State of California services . In 1999 , the California State Auditor found that most of the 10 state agencies surveyed were not adequately monitoring compliance
6 with the Act and could do more to ensure equal access to public services . The State
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Auditor ’ s 2010 review continued to identify implementation and monitoring gaps . The Unruh Civil Rights Act applies to private businesses in California and addresses protection against discrimination based on the protected categories of age , ancestry , color , disability ,
8 race , religion , sex , sexual orientation , and national origin . Government Code § 11135 has requirements similar to Title VI and broadens them by including more protected categories and extending requirements to California state agencies .
The Migration Policy Institute recently published a Practitioner ’ s Corner blog post about the California state language access policy framework . Read MPI ’ s blog post .
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California Department of Human Services , “ Bilingual Services .” California State Auditor , “ Report 99110 Summary ,” issued in November 1999 . California State Auditor , “ Report 2010-106 Summary ,” issued in November 2010 .
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California Department of Rehabilitation , “ Unruh Civil Rights Act .”
Joann Lee , “ Advancing Language Access Through State-Level Civil Rights Laws ,” Migration Policy Institute , published July 7 , 2023 .
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