L.L. 2003/073
Enactment date: 12/22/2003
Proposed Int. No. 38-A
By the Speaker (Council Member Miller) and Council Members Liu, Brewer, DeBlasio, Barron, Comrie, Dilan, Martinez, Monserrate, Moskowitz, Perkins, Quinn, Reyna, Rivera, Serrano, Yassky, Reed, Sanders, Jr., Gennaro, Foster, Koppell, Clarke, Recchia, Jr., Baez, Nelson, Seabrook, Sears, Lopez, Felder, Espada, Jr., Katz, Stewart, Gonzalez, Jackson, James, Jennings, Addabbo, Jr., Avella, McMahon and the Public Advocate (Ms. Gotbaum); also Council Members Boyland, Vann, Fidler, Gerson, Weprin and Gioia
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the provision of language assistance services.
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Declaration of legislative findings and intent. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provides in pertinent part that "[n]o person in the United States shall on the ground of race, color or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal assistance." The United States Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services have stated that all recipients of federal funding must take reasonable steps to ensure meaningful access to the information and services they provide and that failure to do so may amount to a violation of Title VI.
It is and has been the policy of the City of New York to oppose all forms of discrimination, especially when such discrimination could undermine the welfare of New York City residents. Individuals should not face obstacles to receiving social services for which they may be eligible because they do not speak English. The purpose of this local law is to ensure that persons eligible for social services receive them and to avoid the possibility that a person who attempts to access services will face discrimination based upon the language s/he speaks.
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[Consolidated provisions are not included in this Appendix A]
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§ 3. This local law shall take effect forty-five days after its enactment.