| 1 | 1 | | By: Menéndez, Cook S.B. No. 2853 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 7 | 7 | | AN ACT |
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| 8 | 8 | | relating to conducting an assessment of language accessibility with |
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| 9 | 9 | | respect to certain health and human services programs and 2-1-1 |
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| 10 | 10 | | services provided by the Texas Information and Referral Network. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. (a) In this section: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (1) "Commission" means the Health and Human Services |
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| 14 | 14 | | Commission. |
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| 15 | 15 | | (2) "Executive commissioner" means the executive |
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| 16 | 16 | | commissioner of the commission. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (b) As soon as practicable after the effective date of this |
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| 18 | 18 | | Act, the commission shall employ a language access coordinator to |
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| 19 | 19 | | conduct an assessment of and identify gaps in non-English speakers' |
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| 20 | 20 | | access to the health and human services programs administered by |
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| 21 | 21 | | the commission and 2-1-1 services provided by the Texas Information |
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| 22 | 22 | | and Referral Network. |
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| 23 | 23 | | (c) Not later than the first anniversary of the date the |
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| 24 | 24 | | commission employs a language access coordinator under Subsection |
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| 25 | 25 | | (b) of this section, the coordinator shall conduct the assessment |
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| 26 | 26 | | described by that subsection and submit to the executive |
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| 27 | 27 | | commissioner a written report that: |
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| 28 | 28 | | (1) summarizes the findings of the assessment; and |
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| 29 | 29 | | (2) provides recommendations for increasing |
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| 30 | 30 | | non-English speakers' access to health and human services programs |
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| 31 | 31 | | and 2-1-1 services provided by the Texas Information and Referral |
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| 32 | 32 | | Network throughout this state. |
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| 33 | 33 | | SECTION 2. This Act expires June 1, 2027. |
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| 34 | 34 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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