09/10/2021

Honorable Marc R. Pacheco, Senate Chair

Honorable Antonio F. D. Cabral, House Chair

Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight

State House, Room 22

Boston, MA 02133

RE: Testimony in Support of S.2040/H.3199, An Act Relative to Language Access and Inclusion

Dear Chairman Pacheco, Chairman Cabral, and Members of the Committee,

Massachusetts Jobs with Justice respectfully submits the following letter in support of S.2040/H.3199, An Act Relative to Language Access and Inclusion, and strongly urges the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight to report the bill favorably.

The Language Access and Inclusion Act would standardize and enforce language access protocols and practices at public-facing state agencies. Nearly 1 in 10 Massachusetts residents speaks a primary language other than English, and the COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare our failure to provide desperately needed information and public services to them. This bill would ensure non-English speaking residents have fair and equitable access to public health information, education, unemployment assistance, healthcare, housing, and other crucial services, especially those related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With expanded access to language services, those who are most impacted by public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic will have better access to services that are intended to support the entire population of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Jobs with Justice supports this act, as we believe all workers and citizens of the state deserve complete access to language support.

Non-English-speaking residents of Massachusetts deserve to be treated with the respect, dignity, and equality that they are entitled to. As one of the most linguistically diverse states within our nation, we strongly urge you to issue a favorable report for S.2040/H.3199, An Act Relative to Language Access and Inclusion.

Respectfully Submitted,

Lily Huang, Quincy

Alicia Fleming, Chicopee

Massachusetts Jobs with Justice

375 Centre Street Boston MA 02130