Language Access Advisory Board

The bill creates the language access advisory board (advisory board). The advisory board consists of 13 members, including 11 voting and 2 nonvoting members. Each voting member of the advisory board is appointed, as specified in the bill, by either the majority leader or minority leader of either the house of representatives or the senate, and the voting members are:

• 3 members of the house of representatives;
• 2 members of the senate;
• One member representing the Colorado Language Access Coalition;
• One member representing a local government that has implemented a language access plan or has a language access advisory entity;
• One member representing persons with disabilities;
• One member who works in translation or interpretation services;
• One member with experience in language access in rural communities; and
• One member with expertise in language access relating to elections.

The nonvoting members of the advisory board are:

• The director of research of the legislative council or the director's designee; and
• The director of the office of legislative legal services or the director's designee.

The purpose of the advisory board is to assess and develop recommendations for improving meaningful access to the legislative process for populations with limited English proficiency. In performing this assessment, the advisory board must solicit public comment and input from subject matter experts. The advisory board must:

• Identify current language-related barriers to the legislative process for state residents with limited English proficiency;
• Examine the success of current language access measures relating to the legislative process;
• Consider the development of a language access plan covering the general assembly and the legislative process;
• Evaluate options for oral interpretation and written translation of legislative activities, including:
• The interpretation of committee hearings, public testimony, and floor proceedings;
• The translation of written publications of the general assembly, including legislative documents and materials, and the general assembly website;
• Whether interpretation should be simultaneous or consecutive;
• Whether translation and interpretation services should be provided by legislative staff or a third party; and
• Necessary qualifications or other requirements for individuals providing translation or interpretation services; and
• Assess language access concerning the ballot information booklet, including:
• Solutions to make the ballot information booklet more accessible to state residents with limited English proficiency;
• Methods for determining the languages into which the ballot information booklet is translated;
• Methods of distribution to best serve communities of state residents with limited English proficiency;
• Monetary and publication-related constraints; and
• The impact of federal and state constitutional requirements.

In addition, the advisory board must:

• Be appointed on or before June 15, 2024;
• Hold its first meeting on or before July 31, 2024; and
• Submit the report of its findings and recommendations to the executive committee of the legislative council on or before December 15, 2024.

The advisory board is repealed on January 1, 2025.

The bill appropriates $29,741 to the legislative department for the 2024-25 state fiscal year to implement the bill.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)