New York S 9379: Establishes language-specific civil service titles for customer-facing roles in state and local agencies

Bill Text

Bill Search and Legislative Information | New York State Assembly 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

 Skip to main content 

 New York State Assembly

 Speaker Carl E. Heastie

 --> 
 --> 

 --> 

• 
 Assembly Members 

• 
 Legislative Info 

• 
 Public Hearings 

• 
 Speaker's Press 

• 
 Assembly Reports 

• 
 Committees & More 

• Bill Search Home
• Laws
• Legislative Calendar
• Public Hearing Schedule
• Assembly Calendars
• Assembly Committee Agenda 

 Javascript must be enabled to properly view this page. 

 Bill No.: 

• Summary 
• Actions 
• Committee&nbspVotes 
• Floor&nbspVotes 
• Memo 
• Text 
• LFIN 
• Chamber&nbspVideo/Transcript 
S09379 Summary:

BILL NOS09379 

&nbsp

SAME ASNo Same As

&nbsp

SPONSORJACKSON

&nbsp

COSPNSR

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Add §155, Civ Serv L

&nbsp

Establishes language-specific variants of existing customer-facing titles where high-need language thresholds are met.

Go to top S09379 Actions:

BILL NOS09379 

&nbsp

03/06/2026REFERRED TO CIVIL SERVICE AND PENSIONS

Go to topS09379 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS09379 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topS09379 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 9379

 IN SENATE

 March 6, 2026
 ___________

 Introduced by Sen. JACKSON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
 printed to be committed to the Committee on Civil Service and Pensions

 AN ACT to amend the civil service law, in relation to establishing
 language-specific civil service titles for customer-facing roles in
 state and local agencies

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. Legislative findings and intent. The legislature finds that
 2 limited English proficiency continues to impede equitable access to
 3 public services. To ensure meaningful language access, agencies must
 4 formally designate language-specific civil service titles for customer-
 5 facing roles where high-need languages are prevalent. This act mandates
 6 the creation, certification, and staffing of such titles based on county
 7 and statewide language data.
 8 § 2. The civil service law is amended by adding a new section 155 to
 9 read as follows:
 10 § 155. Language-specific titles for customer-facing roles. 1. As used
 11 in this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
 12 (a) "Customer-facing title" shall mean any competitive or non-competi-
 13 tive civil service title of the state or of any municipal corporation or
 14 political subdivision of the state in which the primary duties involve
 15 direct interaction with members of the public for intake, eligibility
 16 determination, service provision, or complaint resolution.
 17 (b) "High-need language" shall mean any language that:
 18 (i) Ranks among the top three spoken languages (excluding English) in
 19 the county served by the agency; or
 20 (ii) Ranks among the top five spoken languages (excluding English)
 21 statewide, as determined by the most recent U.S. Census or agency intake
 22 data.
 23 (c) "Language-specific title" shall mean a civil service title of the
 24 state or of any municipal corporation or political subdivision of the
 25 state formally designated to require proficiency in a specific high-need
 26 language, reflected in the title name and examination criteria.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD13792-01-5

 S. 9379 2

 1 2. The department shall establish language-specific variants of exist-
 2 ing customer-facing titles where high-need language thresholds are met.
 3 Such language-specific variants of existing customer-facing titles shall
 4 include language proficiency testing as part of the examination process
 5 and be listed separately on eligible lists.
 6 3. (a) Every agency shall fill no fewer than twenty-five percent of
 7 customer-facing positions in applicable titles using language-specific
 8 designations aligned with their service area's high-need languages. An
 9 agency may exceed this threshold based on demonstrated limited English
 10 proficiency service demand.
 11 (b) An agency may request a waiver for specific titles if customer
 12 service metrics established by the department are being met.
 13 (c) Interpretation services shall be used by an agency where the
 14 applicable language-specific title list is empty.
 15 4. (a) Every agency shall submit an annual report to the department
 16 detailing:
 17 (i) The number of language-specific positions filled and vacant;
 18 (ii) The number of limited English proficiency clients served of each
 19 language; and
 20 (iii) The use of interpretation services and unmet language needs.
 21 (b) The department shall publish on its website a statewide dashboard
 22 tracking compliance with the provisions of this section, disaggregated
 23 by agency, title