Skip to content
S1951Senate2019-2020 SessionSame asA2145

Translate Housing Court Documents

Official title

“Requires the office of court administration to promulgate certain housing court documents in the seven most common languages in the city of New York”

Sponsor Jamaal BaileySD-36+1 co-sponsorAffects Legal
Status
Signed by Governor
Impact
4/10
Low
Outcome
Signed into law

Bill progress

Signed into law

What's happening

This bill requires key housing court documents and information in New York City to be provided in the seven most common languages.

Why it matters

  1. Improves Access to Justice for Non-English Speakers. By requiring key housing court documents and notices to be available in the seven most common languages in NYC, the bill ensures that many tenants and landlords who are not fluent in English can better understand their rights and responsibilities in eviction and housing court proceedings.

  2. Mandates Multilingual Support Beyond Written Documents. The bill not only covers written translations but also requires designated phone numbers providing information in these languages, and ensures litigants are informed about their right to have all court proceedings and settlements interpreted orally in their native language.

  3. Reduces Risk of Unfair Evictions Due to Language Barriers. With clearer communication and access to information, tenants who might otherwise miss important deadlines or misunderstand court processes due to language issues are less likely to lose their homes unfairly.

  4. Strengthens Transparency and Trust in the Housing Court System. By proactively providing information in multiple languages and making these resources widely accessible (including online and via postcards), the court system demonstrates a commitment to equitable treatment, which can increase confidence in the judicial process among immigrant and limited-English-proficient communities.

The daily · weekday mornings

Albany, before your first meeting.

Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.

Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.

Who cares

Headline styles

Translate Housing Court Documents

Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.

Sponsors

Primary sponsor
Jamaal Bailey

Senator · Senate District 36

Chair, Codes

1 Co-sponsor

History

  1. Signed chap.223
  2. Delivered to governor
  3. Returned to senate
  4. Passed assembly
  5. Ordered to third reading cal.330
  6. Substituted for A2145
  7. Referred to judiciary
  8. Delivered to assembly
  9. Passed senateVote 61–1
  10. Advanced to third reading
  11. 2nd report cal.
  12. 1st report cal.243
Show 10 earlier actions
  1. Reported and committed to finance
  2. Referred to judiciary
  3. Returned to senate
  4. Died in assembly
  5. Referred to judiciary
  6. Delivered to assembly
  7. Passed senateVote 61–1
  8. Ordered to third reading cal.1594
  9. Committee discharged and committed to rules
  10. Referred to judiciary

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.

A2145Assembly

Translate Housing Court Papers

Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Latoya Joyner

Impact 4 · Low0% to pass

Full text

2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗

STATE OF NEW YORK

1951

2019-2020 Regular Sessions

IN SENATE

January 18, 2019

Introduced by Sen. BAILEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Judiciary

AN ACT to amend the New York city civil court act, in relation to requiring the office of court administration to promulgate certain housing court documents provided to parties in their native language

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

Section 1. Section 110 of the New York city civil court act is amended by adding a new subdivision (q) to read as follows:

(q) (1) The office of court administration shall by rule promulgate a Spanish version of the Notice of Petition that shall include a designated telephone number which will provide information to the respondent in Spanish on the court process for eviction, and the Notice of Petition shall be required to be served together with an English version in all proceedings commenced under section seven hundred thirty-two of the real property actions and proceedings law.

(2) The office of court administration shall by rule promulgate a notice to be annexed to all Notices of Petitions subject to proceedings commenced under section seven hundred thirty-two of the real property actions and proceedings law, which shall state, in the six most common languages in the city of New York, after Spanish, that the respondent may obtain a copy of the Notice of Petition form in those six most common languages on the internet website of the office of court administration which shall be provided on this notice for this purpose, and may call a designated telephone number, listed on the notice, which will provide information on the court process for eviction in those six languages.

(3) The office of court administration shall by rule revise the text of the postcard currently required to be filed by petitioners in proceedings subject to article seven of the real property actions and proceedings law to include notice in the seven most common languages in

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD00171-01-9

S. 1951 2

the city of New York, that the respondent may call a designated telephone number, listed on the postcard, for more information on the court process for eviction.

(4) The office of court administration shall promulgate notices in the seven most common languages in the city of New York to be distributed to litigants in the housing part of the civil court advising them of the right to have all court proceedings and any agreements settling the case interpreted to them orally in their native language.

§ 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law.

Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.

Sponsor's memo

Title of bill

An act to amend the New York city civil court act, in relation to requiring the office of court administration to promulgate certain hous- ing court documents provided to parties in their native language

Purpose of bill

This bill would require the office of court administration to promulgate certain housing court documents to parties in proceedings before New York City Housing Court documents to parties in their native language.

Summary of provisions

Section one of this bill amends Section 110 of the New York City civil court act by adding a new subdivision (q)(1) requiring the office of court administration to promulgate a Spanish version of the Notice of Petition for Nonpayment and requiring that it be served together with an English version in all proceedings commenced under section seven hundred thirty-two of the real property actions and proceedings law.

Section two of the bill requires the office of court administration to promulgate a notice to be included in or annexed to all Notices of Petitions subject to proceedings commenced under section seven hundred thirty-two of the real property actions and proceedings law, which shall state, in the six most common languages in the city of New York, after Spanish, that the respondent may obtain a copy of the Notice of Petition form in those six most common languages on the internet website of the office of court administration, and may call a designated telephone number which will provide information on the court process for eviction in those six languages.

Section three of the bill requires the office of court administration to revise the text of the postcard currently required to be filed by peti- tioners in proceedings subject to article seven of the real property actions and proceedings law to include notice in the seven most common languages in the city of New York, that the respondent may call a desig- nated telephone number listed on the postcard for more information on the court process for eviction.

Section four of the bill requires the office of court administration to promulgate notices in the seven most common languages in the city of New York to be distributed to litigants in the housing part of the civil court advising them of the right to have all court proceedings and any agreements settling the case interpreted to them orally in their native language.

Justification

New York State has approximately 5.5 million residents who are not native English speakers and 2.5 million New Yorkers with limited English proficiency (LEP). Seeking to address the needs of this large and grow- ing population, Governor Cuomo signed Executive Order Number 26 in 2011 requiring all state agencies that provide direct public services to begin translating essential forms, instructions and other documents in the six most common languages found in the state. Under the Executive Order Number 26 the agencies also must provide interpretation in clients' primary language, regardless of whether it is one of the six most common. State agencies were required to begin providing these services by October 6, 2012.

While this was a significant step forward in meeting the needs of LEP New Yorkers, the state Office of Court Administration (OCA) was not specifically covered by the executive order. This legislation seeks to rectify that omission by requiring OCA to take several fundamental steps to remove barriers faced by LEP New Yorkers.

Legislative history

2017-18: A.2890-A/S6076-A: Referred to Judiciary

Fiscal implications for state and local governments

None

Effective date

This Act shall take effect on the 180th day after enactment.

Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.