Section 52:14-44 - Commissioner of Human Services, Attorney General, Chief Technology Officer, guidance, heads of State government entities, language access coordinators; report, Governor, Legislature
The Commissioner of Human Services, Attorney General, and Chief Technology Officer shall provide guidance to the heads of State government entities and their respective language access coordinators in their implementation of this act, P.L. 2023, c. 263 (C.52:14-40 et seq.). The guidelines for implementing the provisions of this section shall include, but may not be limited to:
a. production and distribution of "I Speak" cards available to the public on a designated website in a downloadable and printable format for those who speak limited or no English to obtain the appropriate card for their language and carry it with them to request language services at State government entities;b. solicitation of feedback and comments from each State government entity, the immigrant and refugee communities, and translation and interpretation contractors annually on the effectiveness of this act;c. development and transmission of an annual report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L. 1991, c. 164 (C.52:14-19.1), with recommendations for how each State government entity is performing and implementing the provisions of this act, including a list of agencies that required a corrective plan, with the first report to be issued on January 10, 2026;d. a periodic review of the provisions of this act to develop recommendations for adjustments, as appropriate, based on changing demographics and other factors, which shall be included in the annual report required under subsection c. of this section;e. development of language access plan written guidance based on the provisions of this act, for distribution to all State government entities for their use in developing, implementing, and reporting on their language access plans, and ensuring that each State government entity submits a language access plan when due that contains the required content; andf. development of the list of seven languages that all State government entities shall use in their implementation of this act, which shall be based on American Community Survey data and updated every year or every five years upon the release of that data.