By Anthony Smith, The Seattle Medium
A bill aimed at expanding language access services across Washington state is advancing in the Legislature, with supporters arguing it would improve access to government programs for hundreds of thousands of residents who do not speak English as their primary language or who are deaf or hard of hearing.
House Bill 2475, which passed the House on a 62-33 vote last week, would direct the Office of Equity to establish uniform statewide guidelines requiring agencies to provide accessible language programs and address shortages of qualified spoken and sign language interpreters and translators.
According to the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families, more than 870,000 people in Washington speak a language other than English at home. The Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing reports that more than 254,000 residents are deaf or hard of hearing, underscoring the demand for qualified interpreters.
Testifying before lawmakers Friday, Patrick Stickney, senior policy and legislative affairs advisor for the Office of Equity, said establishing uniform language access standards would strengthen public trust and improve how residents interact with state government.
“We believe that increasing clarity and consistency in how agencies provide language accessible programs, activities, and services is an important element of a customer focused and responsive state government,” said Stickney. “Language access is important across all aspects of life and the lack of these services have shown to lead worse health outcomes.”
“This bill is fully implementable by the office of Equity. We would be directed to work with interested parties to develop guidelines for clarity and consistency across state agencies.” Added Stickney.
Joanna Ramos, representing the Washington State Coalition for Language Access, told lawmakers the measure is long overdue and urged comprehensive statewide standards.
“We have long advocated for a comprehensive language access program in Washington State government, which has never been more urgent than now,” Ramos said. “Inclusive stakeholder engagement is essential to inform this work and address Washington’s shortage of interpreters of spoken and sign languages.”
Paula Sardinas of the Washington Build Back Black Alliance voiced strong support for the measure, citing its impact on families who do not speak English as their primary language.
“We are proud to represent many of those Washingtonians who do not have English as their language of proficiency,” Sardinas said. “We understand that when families do not speak English they have limited access to healthcare, to education, to licensing, to the various benefits that the State of Washington provides for them.”
Sardinas said the bill does not impose new mandates but instead establishes uniform statewide guidelines to help agencies administer services more consistently and effectively. She also emphasized the importance of providing an adequate number of interpreters and translators for those living in rural areas like Yakima and Pasco.
“We need to make sure that we are providing those resources for those who have the least amount of opportunity,” Sardinas said. “We look forward to having stakeholder engagement across Washington State with all interested parties to make sure people understand fully what HB 2475 does.”
The proposal is scheduled for executive session in the Senate Committee on State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections on Tuesday, Feb. 24. If enacted, the Office of Equity’s uniform guidelines would take effect no later than Dec. 1, 2027.
