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Coronavirus Language Access Act

Introduced: August 12, 2020 Introduced by: Hirono, Mazie K. Democratic · Hawaii See on congress.gov

Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps

Introduced

In committee

Reported out

Passed House

Passed Senate

To President

Became law

Aug 12, 2020

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Aug 12, 2020

Introduced in Senate

Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Coronavirus Language Access Act

This bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other federal agencies to take actions to expand access to information about COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) for those with limited English proficiency. It also provides emergency funding to the Administration on Community Living for FY2020 to increase access to such information for those who have limited English proficiency and are older individuals, individuals with disabilities, or individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Among other requirements, the CDC must award grants to, or enter cooperative agreements with, community-based organizations or governmental health departments to offer interpretive services for individuals receiving COVID-19 tests and otherwise provide information about COVID-19 and other public health activities in certain languages other than English. The CDC must also translate, within seven days, certain COVID-19 materials into specified languages other than English and must operate a hotline staffed by trained interpreters to provide information about COVID-19 to the public.

In addition, any federal agency that receives funding pursuant to a COVID-19 response law must translate, within seven days, materials that describe programs and opportunities related to COVID-19 into specified languages other than English and must provide oral language assistance services to those with limited English proficiency.

What's happening now August 12, 2020

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Committees of jurisdiction 1