A11023 • 2025

Relates to the powers of the head of the office of mental health and the head of the office for people with developmental disabilities to promulgate rules regarding communications needs of non-English speakers

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Sponsor: Jo Anne Simon
Last action: 2026-05-04
Official status: In Senate Committee
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Relates to the powers of the head of the office of mental health and the head of the office for people with developmental disabilities to promulgate rules regarding communications needs of non-English speakers

Relates to the powers of the head of the office of mental health and the head of the office for people with developmental disabilities to promulgate rules regarding communications needs of non-English speakers Relates to the powers of the head of the office of mental health and the head of the office for people with developmental disabilities to promulgate rules regarding communications needs of non-English speakers seeking or receiving services; includes the provision of language services and documents in English and the twelve most common non-English languages spoken by individuals in New York State based on United States census data.

What This Bill Does

Relates to the powers of the head of the office of mental health and the head of the office for people with developmental disabilities to promulgate rules regarding communications needs of non-English speakers Relates to the powers of the head of the office of mental health and the head of the office for people with developmental disabilities to promulgate rules regarding communications needs of non-English speakers seeking or receiving services; includes the provision of language services and documents in English and the twelve most common non-English languages spoken by individuals in New York State based on United States census data.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-05-04 Assembly
PASSED ASSEMBLY
2026-05-04 Assembly
DELIVERED TO SENATE
2026-05-04 Senate
REFERRED TO MENTAL HEALTH
2026-04-30 Assembly
ADVANCED TO THIRD READING CAL.441
2026-04-28 Assembly
REPORTED
2026-04-22 Assembly
REFERRED TO MENTAL HEALTH

Official Summary Text

Relates to the powers of the head of the office of mental health and the head of the office for people with developmental disabilities to promulgate rules regarding communications needs of non-English speakers
Relates to the powers of the head of the office of mental health and the head of the office for people with developmental disabilities to promulgate rules regarding communications needs of non-English speakers seeking or receiving services; includes the provision of language services and documents in English and the twelve most common non-English languages spoken by individuals in New York State based on United States census data.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          11023

                                  I N  A S S E M B L Y

                                     April 22, 2026
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. SIMON -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Mental Health

        AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to the powers of the
          head of the office of mental health and the head  of  the  office  for
          people  with  developmental disabilities to promulgate rules regarding
          communications needs of non-English speaking individuals

          THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
        BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

     1    Section  1. Subdivision (h) of section 7.09 of the mental hygiene law,
     2  as added by chapter 301 of the laws of  1994 and relettered by section 2
     3  of part I of chapter 58 of the laws of  2005,  is  amended  to  read  as
     4  follows:
     5    (h) The commissioner shall promulgate rules and regulations to address
     6  the LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE SERVICES AND communications needs of non-English
     7  speaking  individuals  seeking or receiving services in facilities oper-
     8  ated or licensed by the office in order to facilitate  their  access  to
     9  services.  Such  rules and regulations shall include, but not be limited
    10  to, DOCUMENTS, FORMS AND MATERIALS BEING AVAILABLE IN  ENGLISH  AND  THE
    11  TWELVE  MOST  COMMON  NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGES SPOKEN BY INDIVIDUALS IN NEW
    12  YORK STATE BASED ON UNITED STATES  CENSUS  DATA,  AND  OTHER  reasonable
    13  means  to  accommodate the language capabilities and preferences of non-
    14  English speaking individuals in  such  facilities  where  a  significant
    15  number of non-English speaking individuals seek or receive services.
    16    §  2.  Subdivision  (e) of section 13.09 of the mental hygiene law, as
    17  added by chapter 301 of the laws  of    1994,  is  amended  to  read  as
    18  follows:
    19    (e) The commissioner shall promulgate rules and regulations to address
    20  the LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE SERVICES AND communications needs of non-English
    21  speaking  individuals  seeking or receiving services in facilities oper-
    22  ated or licensed by the office in order to facilitate  their  access  to
    23  services.  Such  rules and regulations shall include, but not be limited
    24  to, DOCUMENTS, FORMS, AND MATERIALS BEING AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH  AND  THE
    25  TWELVE  MOST  COMMON  NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGES SPOKEN BY INDIVIDUALS IN NEW
    26  YORK STATE BASED ON UNITED STATES  CENSUS  DATA,  AND  OTHER  reasonable

         EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD15612-01-6
        A. 11023                            2

     1  means  to  accommodate the language capabilities and preferences of non-
     2  English speaking individuals in  such  facilities  where  a  significant
     3  number of non-English speaking individuals seek or receive services.
     4    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.