A Bill for an Act
Page 1, Line 101Concerning a statewide language access assessment
Page 1, Line 102covering principal departments.
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at http://leg.colorado.gov.)
The bill requires the department of personnel (department), in collaboration with the office of new Americans, to conduct or contract to conduct a statewide language access assessment (assessment). The assessment covers all principal departments except the department of state, the department of the treasury, and the department of law (principal departments). The assessment must identify:
- The needs of principal departments to meet the language access standards outlined in the language access universal policy, including requests for guidance, training, and technical assistance;
- Relevant language access materials from principal departments, including language access plans, position descriptions related to language access, procedures related to language access, and technical assistance or training materials;
- Information on current language services contracts, expenditures, and funding sources related to language access;
- The public-facing responsibilities of principal departments, including designating which principal departments and their subcontractors do and do not have frequent contact with linguistically diverse individuals; and
- Other covered entities that may be subject to the standards outlined in the language access universal policy.
- Improving efficiency, increasing quality of service, reducing cost, avoiding duplicative work, building on existing best practices, and minimizing administrative burden with respect to the provision of linguistically accessible government services and programs to linguistically diverse individuals;
- Addressing gaps and improving meaningful service through changes to language access services, practices, and procedures;
- Evaluating potential technological options for increasing language access, such as artificial intelligence; and
- Determining what infrastructure is needed to ensure full and sustainable implementation of the standards outlined in the language access universal policy.
The department may enter into an agreement with a third-party entity to conduct all or part of the assessment. The third-party entity must have demonstrated expertise in working with state governments on language access initiatives, such as developing language access policies or plans.
At the conclusion of the assessment and not later than December 31, 2026, the department, the office of new Americans, or the third-party entity is required to create a report covering the findings of the assessment and recommendations concerning:
The department must include a summary of the report and assessment in its January 2027 presentation to legislative oversight committees required by the "State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act".
This Unofficial Version Includes Committee
Amendments Not Yet Adopted on Second Reading
Page 3, Line 1Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:
Page 3, Line 2SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 24-30-105 as follows:
Page 3, Line 324-30-105. Statewide language access assessment - report -
Page 3, Line 4legislative declaration - definitions. (1) Legislative declaration.The general assembly finds and declares that:
Page 3, Line 5(a) Almost nine hundred thousand Coloradans speak a
Page 3, Line 6language other than English, with the top five languages being
Page 3, Line 7Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, German, and Russian, and more
Page 3, Line 8than three hundred thousand Coloradans face linguistic barriers to accessing state government services and programs;
Page 3, Line 9(b) Providing language access for state government
Page 3, Line 10services and programs is key to improving their effectiveness
Page 3, Line 11and supporting successful integration and inclusion of
Page 3, Line 12immigrants and their families into Colorado's civic, economic, and social life;
Page 3, Line 13(c) It is the intent of the office of new Americans in the
Page 3, Line 14Colorado department of labor and employment to work
Page 3, Line 15administratively, in concert with the appropriate office of the
Page 3, Line 16department of personnel and administration, to establish an
Page 3, Line 17interim language access working group made up of the principal departments of the state;
Page 3, Line 18(d) Once established, the interim language access working
Page 3, Line 19group will work to draft a statewide language access policy for the consideration of the governor;
Page 3, Line 20(e) Upon approval of the draft policy by the governor, a
Page 4, Line 1language access universal policy will be adopted and published
Page 4, Line 2by the division of human resources within the department of personnel and administration;
Page 4, Line 3(f) The language access assessment created in this section
Page 4, Line 4will assess the effectiveness of the language access universal
Page 4, Line 5policy in meeting the needs of multilingual Coloradans and will
Page 4, Line 6assess the readiness of principal departments to meet the statewide language access standards; and
Page 4, Line 7(g) Upon completion of the assessment and not later than
Page 4, Line 8December 31, 2026, the interim language access working group
Page 4, Line 9will dissolve and transition to a community of practice
Page 4, Line 10maintained by theappropriateoffice of the department of
Page 4, Line 11personnel and administration. To the extent possible, the
Page 4, Line 12department of personnel and administration will work to ensure
Page 4, Line 13representation in the community of practice from linguistically
Page 4, Line 14diverse individuals and other community members with
Page 4, Line 15professional or lived experience with language access
Page 4, Line 16initiatives and from across state agencies, while limiting total
Page 4, Line 17participation to twenty people. The ongoing work of the
Page 4, Line 18language access community of practice will be informed by the
Page 4, Line 19work of the interim language access working group and will
Page 4, Line 20focus on implementing the language access universal policy
Page 4, Line 21with ongoing observation of best practices in the principal departments.
Page 4, Line 22(2) Definitions.As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
Page 4, Line 23(a) "Department" means the department of personnel created in section 24-1-128.
Page 5, Line 1(b) "Executive director" means the executive director of the department of personnel.
Page 5, Line 2(c) "Language access assessment" or "assessment" means
Page 5, Line 3the statewide assessment on language access readiness required by subsection (3) of this section.
Page 5, Line 4(d) "language access universal policy" means the
Page 5, Line 5statewide policy standards for language access identified by
Page 5, Line 6the interim language access working group initiated by the office of new Americans and the department in 2025.
Page 5, Line 7(e) "Linguistically diverse individuals" means individuals
Page 5, Line 8seeking to access state government services in the language of
Page 5, Line 9their choice who may have English language proficiency that
Page 5, Line 10requires language support in certain contexts. "Linguistically
Page 5, Line 11diverse individuals" includes individuals with limited English
Page 5, Line 12proficiency as provided by Title VI of the "Civil Rights Act of
Page 5, Line 131964," 42 U.S.C. sec. 2000d et seq.; federal executive order 13166,
Page 5, Line 14"Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency," as published in 65 Fed. Reg. 50121 (August 11, 2000);
Page 5, Line 15 and other federal anti-discrimination statutes.
Page 5, Line 16(f) "Office of new Americans" means the Colorado office of new Americans created in section 8-3.7-103.
Page 5, Line 17(g) "Other covered entity" means a public or private
Page 5, Line 18entity that receives state funding or contracts to administer
Page 5, Line 19programs or services for the public, including receiving state
Page 5, Line 20funding through grants, purchase-of-service contracts, or any
Page 5, Line 21other arrangement by which the state provides or otherwise
Page 6, Line 1makes available assistance in the form of money to a person for the purpose of rendering services to the public.
Page 6, Line 2(h) "Principal department" means a principal department
Page 6, Line 3listed in section 24-1-110; except that "principal department"
Page 6, Line 4does not include the department of state, the department of the treasury, or the department of law.
Page 6, Line 5(i) "Third-party entity" means an entity that has entered
Page 6, Line 6into an agreement with the department to conduct all or part of the language access assessment.
Page 6, Line 7(3) Statewide language access assessment. (a) The executive
Page 6, Line 8director, in partnership with the office of new Americans, shall
Page 6, Line 9assess or contract for an assessment of the readiness of
Page 6, Line 10principal departments to meet the language access standards
Page 6, Line 11outlined in the language access universal policy. In addition to
Page 6, Line 12any area of assessment deemed appropriate by the executive
Page 6, Line 13director, the office of new Americans, or the third-party entity, the assessment must identify:
Page 6, Line 14(I) The needs of principal departments to meet the
Page 6, Line 15standards outlined in the language access universal policy,
Page 6, Line 16including requests for guidance, training, and technical assistance;
Page 6, Line 17(II) Relevant language access materials from principal
Page 6, Line 18departments, including language access plans, position
Page 6, Line 19descriptions related to language access, procedures related to
Page 6, Line 20language access, and technical assistance or training materials;
Page 6, Line 21(III) Information on current language services contracts, expenditures, and funding sources related to language access;
Page 7, Line 1(IV) The public-facing responsibilities of principal
Page 7, Line 2departments, including designating which principal departments
Page 7, Line 3and their subcontractors do and do not have frequent contact with linguistically diverse individuals; and
Page 7, Line 4(V) Other covered entities that may be subject to the standards outlined in the language access universal policy.
Page 7, Line 5(b) A principal department shall provide any
Page 7, Line 6nonconfidential data and non-personally identifiable
Page 7, Line 7information that is necessary to complete the assessment, as
Page 7, Line 8available, upon request of the executive director or the third-party entity.
Page 7, Line 9(c) (I) The executive director may enter into an agreement
Page 7, Line 10with one or more third-party entities to conduct all or part of the assessment.
Page 7, Line 11(II) A third-party entity that enters into an agreement
Page 7, Line 12with the executive director to conduct all or part of the
Page 7, Line 13assessment must have demonstrated expertise in working with
Page 7, Line 14state governments on language access initiatives, such as developing language access policies or plans.
Page 7, Line 15(III) The third-party entity may be from outside Colorado.
Page 7, Line 16(4) Report. (a) At the conclusion of the assessment and
Page 7, Line 17not later than December 31, 2026, the executive director, the
Page 7, Line 18office of new Americans, or the third-party entity, as
Page 7, Line 19appropriate, shall create a report summarizing the findings and
Page 7, Line 20recommendations of the assessment, including recommendations
Page 7, Line 21concerning:
Page 8, Line 1(I) Improving efficiency, increasing quality of service,
Page 8, Line 2reducing cost, avoiding duplicative work, building on existing
Page 8, Line 3best practices, and minimizing administrative burden with
Page 8, Line 4respect to the provision of linguistically accessible government services and programs to linguistically diverse individuals;
Page 8, Line 5(II) Addressing gaps and improving meaningful service
Page 8, Line 6through changes to language access services, practices, and procedures;
Page 8, Line 7(III) Evaluating potential technological options for increasing language access, such as artificial intelligence; and
Page 8, Line 8(IV) Determining what infrastructure is needed to ensure
Page 8, Line 9full and sustainable implementation of the standards outlined in the language access universal policy.
Page 8, Line 10(b) The report must include an executive summary of the
Page 8, Line 11findings and recommendations that does not exceed two pages.
Page 8, Line 12The executive summary must be written in plain language and
Page 8, Line 13must be available in English and the other five most commonly
Page 8, Line 14spoken languages in the state by population of linguistically diverse individuals.
Page 8, Line 15(c) (I) The executive director shall make the report on the assessment publicly available on the department's website.
Page 8, Line 16(II) The director of the office of new Americans shall
Page 8, Line 17make the report on the assessment publicly available on the office's website.
Page 8, Line 18(III) Upon request, the executive director or the director
Page 8, Line 19of the office of new Americans shall provide a copy of the report
Page 8, Line 20in any requested language.
Page 9, Line 1(d) In January 2027, the department shall include, as part
Page 9, Line 2of its presentation during its "SMART Act" hearing required by
Page 9, Line 3section 2-7-203, a summary of the information included in the
Page 9, Line 4report required by this subsection (4) concerning the language access assessment.
Page 9, Line 5SECTION 2. Safety clause. The general assembly finds,
Page 9, Line 6determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate
Page 9, Line 7preservation of the public peace, health, or safety or for appropriations for
Page 9, Line 8the support and maintenance of the departments of the state and state institutions.