What's happening
This bill establishes a commission to study and recommend ways to improve educational outcomes for multilingual learners in New York.
Why it matters
Brings diverse expertise to policy recommendations. The commission must include professionals with specific backgrounds in bilingual education, teaching multilingual students, early childhood education, newcomer support, and educational equity, ensuring that its findings and proposals are informed by a range of relevant perspectives.
Targets persistent achievement gaps. The commission is tasked with identifying effective strategies and legislative changes to close the achievement and graduation rate gaps between multilingual learners and their English-proficient peers, aiming to address longstanding educational inequities in New York.
Ensures broad statewide input. By holding public hearings in regions across New York—including Long Island, New York City, Buffalo, Syracuse, and Yonkers—the commission will gather input from diverse communities, making recommendations more responsive to local contexts and needs.
Sets a clear timeline for action and accountability. The commission is required to deliver its report and recommendations within a year of appointment, providing a structured process to translate its findings into concrete legislative and policy actions, with the commission sunsetted after two years to encourage timely results.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Support Multilingual Student Success
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Substituted by S4031B
- Ordered to third reading rules cal.563
- Rules report cal.563
- Reported
- Reported referred to rules
- Reported referred to ways and means
- Print number 8211a
- Amend and recommit to education
- Referred to education
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Create Multilingual Learner Commission
Signed by Governor · Sponsor Robert Jackson
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
8211--A
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
June 7, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. ARROYO -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to establish a commission for the educational advancement of multilingual learners in New York; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Commission established. (a) A commission, to be known as the commission for the educational advancement of multilingual learners, hereafter referred to as the commission, is hereby created to study and prepare a report on the best practices and legislative recommendations to close the achievement gap and high school graduation rates between multilingual learners and their English proficient peers from prekindergarten through twelfth grade. The report will advise the legislature, governor, board of regents, and New York state education officials on the best practices, provide policy and legislative recommendations to close the achievement gap; and the feasibility and cost to implement such practices in schools.
(b) The commission shall be composed of eleven members, appointed as follows: (i) two members shall be appointed by the governor; (ii) two members shall be appointed by the speaker of the assembly; (iii) two members shall be appointed by the temporary president of the senate; (iv) one member shall be appointed by the minority leader of the assembly; (v) one member shall be appointed by the minority leader of the senate; (vi) two members shall be appointed by the chancellor of the board of regents; and (vii) one member shall be the commissioner of the New York state education department or appointed thereof who shall serve as chairperson of the commission. Vacancies in the membership of the commission shall be filled within 30 days in the manner provided for original appointments.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10122-07-9
A. 8211--A 2
(c) The commission shall be made up of at least: (i) one education professional who specializes in English to Speakers of Other Languages and Bilingual Programs; (ii) one teacher who has experience working with multilingual students; (iii) one education professional who has experience working with early childhood multilingual learners; (iv) one education professional who has experience with multilingual newcomers and high school graduation; and (v) one education professional who has expertise in education equity of New York state students.
(d) The members of the commission shall receive no compensation for their services, but shall be allowed their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties hereunder.
§ 2. Appointments to commission. The governor, the speaker of the assembly, the temporary president of the senate, the minority leader of the assembly, the minority leader of the senate, the chancellor of the board of regents, and the commissioner of education shall submit their appointments no later than 120 days after this act becomes a law.
§ 3. Commission staff and agency liaison. The commissioner of education shall designate such employees of the department of education as are reasonably necessary to provide support services to the commission. The commissioner of education shall appoint one or more representatives of the department of education to serve as liaison between such department and the commission.
§ 4. Accomplishment of purpose. The commission shall be authorized and empowered to undertake any studies, surveys or analyses it may deem relevant. The commission shall meet and hold at least five public hearings, pursuant to subdivision (a) of section one of this act, one in each of the following regions of the state: Long Island, the city of New York, the city of Buffalo, the city of Syracuse and the city of Yonkers.
§ 5. Report on best practices and legislative recommendations. The commission shall make a report of its findings, including any recommendations for legislative action as it may deem necessary and appropriate, to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the chairperson of the senate committee on education, the chairperson of the senate committee on New York City education, the chairperson of the assembly committee on education, the board of regents, and the commissioner of education no later than one year after all appointments to the commission have been made.
§ 6. This act shall take effect April 1, 2020 and shall expire and be deemed repealed two years after such date, provided, however, that if upon such date an appropriation to the education department for the purposes of implementing section one of this act shall not have been made, this act shall take effect on the forty-fifth day after such appropriation is made and shall expire and be deemed repealed two years after such date, provided further that the director of the budget shall notify the legislative bill drafting commission upon the occurrence of such appropriation in order that the commission may maintain an accurate and timely effective data base of the official text of the laws of the state of New York in furtherance of effectuating the provisions of section 44 of the legislative law and section 70-b of the public officers law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.