Bills We Supported
HB 1049/SB 270 –
Language Access Equity Report & Interagency Work Group | Delegate Tran; Senator Hashmi
Status: HB 1049 was left in the House Appropriations Committee. SB 270 passed the Senate, left in House General Laws.
Summary: Establishes the Interagency Language Access Working Group in the Office of the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with the following membership: the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Director of the Office of the Children’s Ombudsman, the Governor’s Secretaries, and six nonlegislative citizen members representing organizations that represent individuals with language access needs. The Working Group is established to maximize state policies, resources, technical assistance, and procurement practices to further language access and equity in the Commonwealth and its state government agencies. The bill also requires each state agency to designate a language access coordinator who will be responsible for the agency’s annual language access report, the requirements of which are set out in the bill. The Secretary of Administration is directed to establish criteria for state agencies to procure language interpretation and translation services and to establish a policy for compensating multilingual state employees who are required as part of their job to provide interpretation, translation, or other bilingual skills at least once a month.
HB 649 –
Language development for children who are deaf or hard of hearing | Delegate Carr
Status: Referred to Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee.
Summary: Requires the Department of Education, in coordination with the Department for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing, to (i) select, with input from an advisory committee that the bill establishes, language developmental milestones and include such milestones in a resource for use by parents of a child from birth to age five who is identified as deaf or hard of hearing to monitor and track their child’s expressive and receptive language acquisition and developmental stages toward English literacy; (ii) disseminate such resource to such parents; (iii) select existing tools or assessments for educators for use in assessing the language and literacy development of children from birth to age five who are deaf or hard of hearing; (iv) disseminate such tools or assessments to local educational agencies and provide materials and training on their use; and (v) annually produce a report that compares the language and literacy development of children from birth to age five who are deaf or hard of hearing with the language and literacy development of their peers who are not deaf or hard of hearing and make such report available to the public on its website.
SB 265 –
Language development for children who are deaf or hard of hearing; assessment resources for parents and educators | Senator Hashmi
Status: Passed House of Delegates and Senate and signed into law.
Summary: Requires the Department of Education, in coordination with the Department for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing, to (i) select, with input from an advisory committee that the bill establishes, language developmental milestones and include such milestones in a resource for use by parents of a child from birth to age five who is identified as deaf or hard of hearing to monitor and track their child’s expressive and receptive language acquisition and developmental stages toward English literacy; (ii) disseminate such resource to such parents; (iii) select existing tools or assessments for educators for use in assessing the language and literacy development of children from birth to age five who are deaf or hard of hearing; (iv) disseminate such tools or assessments to local educational agencies and provide materials and training on their use; and (v) annually produce a report that compares the language and literacy development of children from birth to age five who are deaf or hard of hearing with the language and literacy development of their peers who are not deaf or hard of hearing and make such report available to the public on its website.
SB 156 –
Public schools; English language learners | Senator Hashmi
Status: Continued to 2023.
Summary: Requires state funding to be provided to support new division-wide ratios of English learner students in average daily membership to full-time equivalent teaching positions, as follows: (i) for each English language learner identified as proficiency level one, one position per 25 students; (ii) for each English language learner identified as proficiency level two, one position per 30 students; (iii) for each English language learner identified as proficiency level three, one position per 40 students; and (iv) for all other English language learners, one position per 50 students. Under the bill, in order to provide additional support for instruction of English language learners, $150 shall be appropriated in year one to divisions for each English learner student to support professional development of instructional and support staff, purchase resources developed for students learning English, and offer grants to community-based organizations that offer support services to English language learners in school settings.
HB 1184 –
Public schools; English language learners | Delegate Guzman
Status: Left in House Education Committee.
Summary: Requires state funding to be provided to support new division wide ratios of English learner students in average daily membership to full-time equivalent teaching positions, as follows: (i) for each English language learner identified as proficiency level one, one position per 25 students; (ii) for each English language learner identified as proficiency level two, one position per 30 students; (iii) for each English language learner identified as proficiency level three, one position per 40 students; and (iv) for all other English language learners, one position per 50 students.
HB 649 –
Language development for children who are deaf or hard of hearing; assessment resources for parents and educators; advisory committee; report | Delegate Carr
Status: Passed House and Senate and signed into law.
Summary: Requires state funding to be provided to support new division wide ratios of English learner students in average daily membership to full-time equivalent teaching positions, as follows: (i) for each English language learner identified as proficiency level one, one position per 25 students; (ii) for each English language learner identified as proficiency level two, one position per 30 students; (iii) for each English language learner identified as proficiency level three, one position per 40 students; and (iv) for all other English language learners, one position per 50 students.
Bills We Monitored
SB 153 –
Creates Secretary of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Governor’s Office | Senator Locke
Status: Tabled in House Appropriations.
Summary: Eliminates the position of Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Office of the Governor and establishes the position of Secretary of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, to be appointed by the Governor and to assist the Governor and Governor’s Secretaries in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion at the state level. The bill outlines the responsibilities of the Secretary. The bill makes several changes in Code to reflect the new position by eliminating references to the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and replacing these references with the Secretary of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Budget Amendments We Supported
Item 56 #1h –
Language Access & Equity Report| Executive Office
Status: The Senate version of the budget included 3 additional full time exempt staff for the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Additionally, the Senate retains the full funding proposed to implement new language access initiatives while the House reduces funding for a total of $2.5 million each year.
Summary: This amendment provides funding in both years for House Bill 1049, which establishes the Interagency Language Access Workgroup in the Office of the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within the Office of the Governor. The workgroup is to maximize state policies, resources, technical assistance, and procurement practices to further language access and equity in the Commonwealth and its state agencies.
Item 56 #1s –
Language Access & Equity Report| Executive Office
Status: The Senate version of the budget included 3 additional full time exempt staff for the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Additionally, the Senate retains the full funding proposed to implement new language access initiatives while the House reduces funding for a total of $2.5 million each year.
Summary: This amendment provides $50,000 GF each year for costs associated with SB 270, introduced for consideration by the 2022 General Assembly, which would establish the Interagency Language Access Working Group in the Office of the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Item 486 #13h –
ARPA Funding for Translational Services| Central Appropriations
Status: The Senate version of the budget included 3 additional full time exempt staff for the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Additionally, the Senate retains the full funding proposed to implement new language access initiatives while the House reduces funding for a total of $2.5 million each year.
Summary: This amendment provides $2.5 million each year from American Rescue Plan Act funds to create a grant program for localities to apply for funding to help translate information related to the availability of childcare, housing, healthcare, transportation, taxes, and other government services and benefits. The information would be translated into languages other than English that are most commonly used by residents of that locality. Translated information may include pamphlets, fact sheets, public service announcements in print or radio, websites, web applications, and other communication, outreach, and marketing tools and activities intended to reach residents of that locality and inform them of the availability of key government services and benefits.
Item 486 #18s –
ARPA Funding for Translational Services| Central Appropriations
Status: $5M the first year for localities to apply for funding for translation services for government services and benefits.
Summary: This amendment provides $5.0 million the first year from American Rescue Plan Act funds to create a grant program for localities to apply for funding to help translate information related to the availability of childcare, housing, healthcare, transportation, taxes, and other government services and benefits. The information would be translated into languages other than English that are most commonly used by residents of that locality. Translated information may include pamphlets, fact sheets, public service announcements in print or radio, websites, web applications, and other communication, outreach, and marketing tools and activities intended to reach residents of that locality and inform them of the availability of key government services and benefits.
Item 130 #2h –
Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing – Resources for Parents and Educators | Office of Education
Status: $170,000 for FY 2023 + $70,000 for FY 2024 to support language development resources for families and educators working with children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Summary: Out of this appropriation, $170,000 the first year and $70,000 the second year from the general fund to support language development resources for families and educators working with children who are deaf or hard of hearing, pursuant to House Bill 649.
Item 130 #1s –
DOE – Establishment of Advisory Committee for Language Development for Deaf and Hard of Hearing | Office of Education
Status: $170,000 for FY 2023 + $70,000 for FY 2024 to support language development resources for families and educators working with children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Summary: This amendment provides $170,250 GF the first year and $70,00 GF the second year to support the Department of Education, in coordination with the Department for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing, to establish an advisory committee that will develop a resource that parents of deaf or hard of hearing children, up to age five, may use to monitor the language development of their children, pursuant to passage of Senate Bill 265.
Item 137 #10h –
Direct Aid – English Learner Teachers | Office of Education
Status: The House version of the budget maintains the current English learner (EL) teacher ratio of 20 such teachers per 1,000 identified EL students. The introduced budget proposed increasing the staffing standard to 20 EL teachers per 1,000 EL students, for an additional $10.3 million the first year and $11.7 million the second year from the general fund.
Summary: This amendment maintains the current English learner (EL) teacher ratio of 20 such teachers per 1,000 identified EL students. The introduced budget proposed increasing the staffing standard to 20 EL teachers per 1,000 EL students, for an additional $10.3 million the first year and $11.7 million the second year from the general fund.
Governor’s Budget Amendments
Racial Reconciliation Events & Programming
Summary: Provides funding for Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion event planning, marketing, contracting, and supplies for events such as Juneteenth, the First African Landing event at Fort Monroe, Racial Truth and Reconciliation week, potential crisis community conversations, and any other related Governor’s Office events, $15,000 the first year and $15,000 the second year.
Language Access
Summary: Provides GF funding to state agencies to facilitate and improve language access, $7.9 the first year and $2.9M the second year.
Language Access & Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Summary: Provide funding for language access and equity efforts: Provides funding and four positions within the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) for a Deputy Diversity Officer for Immigrant Integration, an Assistant Director for Access/Functional Needs for People with Disabilities, and two American Sign Language interpreters to support the Office of the Governor and ODEI, $543,036 4 FTE positions the first year and $543,036 with 4 FTE positions the second year.
Creation of Benefit Navigator Program
Summary: Funds a pilot program in the Office of New Americans that competitively award grants to immigrant‐ and refugee‐serving organizations. These grants will provide intensive case management to limited English proficiency individuals to assist them with applying for critical public services. Grants also will be competitively awarded to refugee resettlement agencies to ensure that immigrants and refugees receive equitable services by expanding the agencies’ capacity to provide legal services, case management, and assistance finding health care, housing, education, and employment. The budget includes a total of $8M and two restricted positions are funded for the duration of the pilot to handle the administrative needs of the program.
Integrated E-referral System
Summary: Provides appropriation to contract for an integrated e-referral system. The purpose of the system is to connect government agencies, health care providers, and community-based partners to enable participants in the system to refer patients to public health and social services, $8M for the first year and $8M for the second year.