Bill > HB1009

This bill mandates that each public-facing state agency, which includes specific departments like Health, Education, and Motor Vehicles, must designate a language access coordinator responsible for developing and implementing the agency's language access policy and preparing an annual report detailing their efforts to ensure programs and services are "meaningfully accessible" to non-English speakers and individuals with disabilities. "Meaningfully accessible" means language assistance that is accurate, timely, and effective at no cost, and not inferior to services provided to English speakers. The Secretary of Health and Human Resources is tasked with establishing criteria for state agencies to procure language interpretation and translation services, including metrics for accuracy, and developing a policy for compensating multilingual state employees who regularly use their language skills for work. The Secretary will also create a model language access policy, a glossary of common terms translated into at least 10 languages, and submit an annual report to the Governor and General Assembly on language access equity in the Commonwealth, with a specific focus on "languages of lesser diffusion," meaning languages spoken by small groups in limited areas. Agencies must adopt their language access policies by November 1, 2026.

Budget and Finance, Justice, Labor and Employment

https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB1009