LEP civil rights news
40 years after the federal law passed, only 3 major US cities so far have enacted city laws to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The article below appeared in the Washington Post today.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55892-2004Apr6.html
D.C. Council Mandates Translators
Agencies Will Assist Non-English Speakers
By Arthur Santana
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 7, 2004; Page B01
The D.C. Council passed a bill yesterday that requires translators in nearly two dozen city agencies and the appointment of a citywide coordinator to ensure that residents who are not proficient in English are provided equal access to services.
The bill, which passed unanimously and is expected to be signed by Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D), according to his spokesman, would require 22 agencies dealing with the public to designate a language-access coordinator to develop and implement a plan that includes hiring bilingual employees and translating official materials into Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese and Amharic, a language of Ethiopia, among other languages.
The bill, introduced in the fall and again in February by council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), also would require the D.C. Office of Human Rights to coordinate the effort and monitor the agencies' compliance.
"I think this is a solid step forward for the hardworking, contributing people of this city who have limited English proficiency," Graham said. "It's going to mean that there is going to be greater access to government agencies by ensuring that government services are provided in languages other than English."
If the bill becomes law, the effort to place language coordinators in each city agency will take about four years, Graham said. Among the agencies affected will be the police department, Department of Health, Department of Employment Services, D.C. Public Schools and the Department of Motor Vehicles, Graham said.
The District is the third city, after Oakland, Calif., and New York, to pass similar language-access legislation, said Sonya Schwartz, attorney with the D.C.-based Families USA, a national health care consumer organization that has supported the legislation.
"We are thrilled to see that D.C. has taken the lead on this," Schwartz said. "This means that immigrants around the city, regardless of what language they speak, can access city government benefits and services just like everyone else."
A 1976 District law requires certain city agencies to hire Hispanic program managers to translate official documents and to serve Spanish-speaking residents.
"We found it to be a dead letter law," Graham said. "It's been largely ignored."
Last year, city financial officials estimated the program would cost $7.74 million from fiscal 2003 through fiscal 2006. But Graham said that by using vacant positions already part of the city budget, he was able to keep the cost at $300,000 for the first year. That figure is expected to climb to nearly $500,000 by the third year, he said.
Graham said the new law is expected to help scores of people across the city who don't speak English and spare the city possible lawsuits. "What we are doing here is in large part complying with the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964," he said. "Right now, by not having this focused program, we are actually open to lawsuits."
Marita Etcubanez, attorney with the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center in the District, said whole segments of the community will benefit from the new law, and it is "very significant" to the city's entire Asian American community.
© 2004 The Washington Post Company