HB 24-1031 Summary

• Defines "effective communication" aligned with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and "language access" as services provided in a person's primary language for those with limited English proficiency in child welfare matters.

• Requires courts to provide language access and interpretation services to children, parents, guardians, and other parties in child welfare proceedings upon request or if the court determines limited English proficiency exists.

• Mandates that translation be provided timely without unreasonable delay upon request, and interpretation must be provided at every proceeding.

• Requires county departments, city and counties, and private-entity contractors to take reasonable steps to ensure meaningful language access in compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and establish this requirement in treatment plans adopted during dispositional hearings.

• Appropriates $74,953 to the judicial department for the 2024-25 fiscal year ($67,753 for general courts administration and 0.8 FTE, $7,200 for capital outlay) to implement the act.