Language access

AN ACT Relating to providing language accessible public programs, 1
activities, and services conducted, operated, or administered by 2
state agencies; and adding a new chapter to Title 43 RCW.3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds that:5
(a) Even before the founding of our state and country, multiple 6
languages, including the languages of indigenous people, immigrants, 7
people who were enslaved, and signed languages, were used by the 8
people who lived on this land. These traditions and practices have 9
continued through to the present day. As such, multilingualism is one 10
of the oldest and most consistently practiced American traditions.11
(b) The use of multiple languages and modalities of communication 12
in government, business, and private affairs supports the state's 13
effective competition in the global economy. The shared prosperity of 14
Washingtonians can be attributed to the collective knowledge, 15
innovation, ideas, connections, and perspectives carried out in all 16
languages used in Washington. When language accessible programs, 17
activities, and services are not provided, it has a negative impact 18
on the state's economic prosperity, which is in part a result of the 19
negative impact on small business. 20
H-2702.1
HOUSE BILL 2475
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Representatives Ortiz-Self, Mena, Fosse, Ryu, Santos, Simmons,
Zahn, Parshley, Thai, Salahuddin, Ramel, Gregerson, Doglio, Cortes,
Obras, Hill, Thomas, and Davis
Read first time 01/14/26. Referred to Committee on State Government
& Tribal Relations.
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(c) Washington has long recognized and enforced language access 1
rights to ensure nondiscrimination in public programs, activities, 2
and services in accordance with federal and state law. To this end, 3
numerous language access laws have been enacted in Washington and 4
upheld by courts in the areas of public assistance, legal 5
proceedings, voting, education, emergency management, and other 6
settings. 7
(d) Washington has long recognized language access as a vital 8
public concern. The percentage of persons in the state age five and 9
older living in households where languages other than English are 10
spoken has increased significantly from 6.9 percent in 1980 to 21.1 11
percent in 2022. Failure to provide required language access services 12
has critical personal and statewide impacts. The lack of language 13
accessible communication and navigation services can contribute to 14
worse outcomes for non-English language preferred individuals in our 15
state and increase costs and government inefficiency. Decades of 16
research has demonstrated major differences in health outcomes for 17
patients whose preferred language is not English, from longer 18
hospital stays to higher rates of mortality, when compared with 19
English language-preferred patients. Language accessibility is also 20
crucial for emergency management. Protecting all communities from 21
disasters through warnings, weather forecasting, and emergency 22
response through multilingual communications can mean the difference 23
between life and death. Directly related to the state's provision of 24
language access services, respecting and supporting the provider 25
workforce that deliver language access services is key to increasing 26
access. 27
(2) Therefore, the legislature intends to affirm long recognized 28
and enforced protections that ensure all Washingtonians have full and 29
equal access to public programs, activities, and services, regardless 30
of national origin, language, disability, or other protected class.31
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) The purpose of this chapter is to 32
affirm protections against unlawful discrimination or denial of full 33
and equal access to public programs, activities, and services; to 34
facilitate the use of consistent practices by state agencies; and to 35
eliminate conflicting or unclear agency interpretations of standards, 36
thereby increasing unity and government efficiency.37
(2) The policy of the state of Washington is to provide language 38
accessible public programs, activities, and services to all persons 39
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to the extent necessary to secure the rights, constitutional or 1
otherwise, of persons whose primary language is not English, and to 2
assure that they have fair access to benefits, programs, and 3
activities regardless of their linguistic characteristics.4
(3) This chapter does not create or expand rights, remedies, or 5
protected classes that do not currently exist under state law. This 6
chapter does not alter any otherwise applicable agency responsibility 7
to provide meaningful language access to non-English language 8
preferred individuals or individuals with limited English 9
proficiency, including those speaking languages of lesser diffusion.10
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) "Language accessible" means the 11
delivery of oral, audio, written, tactile, or visual communication in 12
an individual's primary language, including signed languages. This 13
includes all modalities of communication including in-person, 14
telephone, virtual, recorded, paper, and digital communications.15
(2) "Linguistic characteristics" means an individual's language, 16
dialect, language proficiency, or accent. 17
(3) "Non-English language preferred" means that an individual, 18
whether or not they possess some degree of English proficiency, has 19
indicated a preference to receive information, services, and 20
communications in a language other than English. 21
(4) "Office" means the office of equity created in RCW 22
43.06D.020. 23
(5) "Primary language" means the language used most frequently by 24
a person to communicate, including sign language or tactile sign 25
language. 26
(6) "Public programs, activities, and services" means all 27
programs, activities, and services conducted, operated, or 28
administered by a state agency or receiving any financial assistance 29
from a state agency. 30
(7) "State agency" means every state executive office, agency, 31
department, board, council, or commission. 32
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. (1) By December 1, 2027, the office shall 33
develop uniform guidelines for state agencies to provide for 34
consistent delivery of language accessible public programs, 35
activities, and services in a manner that meets the needs of the 36
individual using a public program, activity, or service. In 37
developing the guidelines, the office shall consult with interested 38
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parties including, but not limited to, state agencies, state 1
commissions that support the participation of people from 2
underrepresented populations in policy-making processes, impacted 3
communities, and the organization that represents language access 4
providers under RCW 41.56.157. The guidelines for providing language 5
accessible programs, activities, and services shall include 6
guidelines for the delivery of oral, audio, written, tactile, and 7
visual communication in an individual's primary language, including 8
signed languages, for all modalities of communication including in-9
person, telephone, virtual, recorded, paper, and digital 10
communications. The office shall review and update the guidelines at 11
least every three years from the date of initial publication and may 12
review and update them sooner as it determines is necessary.13
(2) The office shall work with interested parties, including 14
state commissions that support the participation of people from 15
underrepresented populations in policy-making processes and the 16
organization that represents language access providers under RCW 17
41.56.157, to develop a proposal for addressing the statewide 18
shortages of qualified spoken and sign language interpreters and 19
translators in a manner that meets the needs of individuals using 20
public programs, activities, and services, with an emphasis on 21
languages of lesser diffusion and rural areas. This proposal shall be 22
submitted to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature 23
and the governor by December 1, 2027. 24
(3) State agencies shall, within available resources, adhere to 25
the guidelines established under subsection (1) of this section by 26
December 1, 2029. 27
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. The provisions of this chapter and other 28
implementing regulations shall be construed liberally for the 29
accomplishment of the purposes thereof. Nothing in this chapter 30
repeals, changes any provision of, or provides any remedy in addition 31
to, any other law of this state relating to discrimination on the 32
basis of national origin, language, disability, or other protected 33
class.34
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. Sections 1 through 5 of this act 35
constitute a new chapter in Title 43 RCW.36
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