New York Senate Bill S06094 Latest Draft

   
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6094 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE March 5, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to provision of interpret- ers at poll sites in certain cities The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The election law is amended by adding a new section 8-110 2 to read as follows: 3 § 8-110. Board of elections, in consultation with the executive office 4 of any city with a population of one million or more; provision of 5 interpreters. 1. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, 6 any board of elections in a city with a population of one million or 7 more shall, at a minimum, provide interpreters for all languages that 8 are designated city-wide languages pursuant to section 23-1101 of the 9 administrative code of the city of New York or other applicable statute 10 at all poll sites that contain an election district with at least fifty 11 voting age residents whose limited English proficiency language is a 12 designated city-wide language. The voting districts with at least fifty 13 voting age residents with limited English proficiency shall be made by 14 the board of elections based upon the most recent United States census 15 data or American community survey data, whichever is more recent, and 16 beginning on January first, two thousand twenty-eight, such data shall 17 be reviewed every two years. Unless an election district has at least 18 fifty voting age residents with limited English proficiency who speak a 19 specific city-wide language, an interpreter for such city-wide language 20 shall not be required for any poll site in such election district. 21 2. All interpreters provided by a board of elections pursuant to 22 subdivision one of this section shall be made available to the public 23 inside the poll site. Any interpreter who engages in any activity in 24 violation of subdivision one of section 8-104 of this article shall be 25 immediately relieved of their duties as an interpreter. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD10568-01-5 
 S. 6094 2 1 3. Nothing in this section shall restrict or prohibit a board of 2 elections from providing interpreters for languages that are not 3 required pursuant to this section. 4 4. The state board of elections shall promulgate rules and regulations 5 that include establishing standards for the number of interpreters that 6 will be required at each poll site based upon the number of voting age 7 residents in an election district with limited English proficiency that 8 speak a specific language. 9 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed- 10 ing the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, 11 the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation neces- 12 sary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are 13 authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.