By Anthony Smith, The Seattle Medium
The Washington State Office of Equity is backing three bills this legislative session aimed at expanding language access, strengthening worker protections and increasing safeguards around personal data.
House Bills 2475, 2411 and 2332 would expand language access across state agencies, allow state employees to donate paid leave to colleagues affected by immigration enforcement actions or hate crimes, and restrict how automated license plate reader data can be used in Washington state.
According to Megan Matthews, director of the Office of Equity, the measures reflect the agency’s broader mission to ensure all Washingtonians have equitable access to government services, workplace protections and privacy safeguards.
“Our goal is to create a structure that aligns with everyone,” Matthews said. “It’s on the government to operate in a way that people can achieve their goals and dreams.”
HB 2475 would require state agencies to provide language access programs and activities, as well as develop a proposal to increase the number of spoken and sign language interpreters.
“Washingtonians should expect a consistent experience no matter which state agency they go to for information or services,” Matthews said. “Right now, we are not providing a consistent experience for people who speak languages other than English. This means that people are not always able to access critical services or information. This bill would support the Office of Equity as we work to create consistency in language access across agencies and address persistent shortages of qualified interpreters and translators in our state.”
Under this proposal, the Office of Equity would review its guidelines every three years to ensure that oral, audio, written, tactile and visual forms of communication are delivered in as many languages as possible, including sign language.
HB 2411 would allow state employees to donate a portion of their paid leave to colleagues who must miss work due to immigration enforcement actions affecting themselves or their family members. These actions include detainment, immigration hearings, deportation or family separation. The provision would also cover individuals who are victims of a hate crime.
“It is important that we help each other through hard times, and we know that state employees want to help,” Matthews said. “By allowing state employees to donate their leave when a colleague experiences a hate crime or they or their family members are involved in an immigration enforcement action, HB 2411 would give state employees another way to support their coworkers through this trauma without the additional worry about what will happen to their job.”
This policy would expand the existing program, which currently allows shared leave in several circumstances, including severe illness or injury to a relative, a call to uniformed service, or domestic violence or assault.
The third bill the Office of Equity is supporting, HB 2332, would restrict the use of data from automated license plate readers, or ALPR.
Law enforcement officers use ALPR to compare license plate numbers on stolen vehicles and for parking enforcement. The technology also can be used to track vehicles, including for immigration enforcement. Washington state currently has no policy regulating these systems.
Privacy and safety concerns have arisen because the devices can be hidden and track vehicles without a driver’s consent. The bill would make the use of ALPR illegal, with several exceptions. These include evaluating stolen vehicle data, tracking vehicles tied to felony warrants, parking enforcement and real-time public traffic information.
Patrick Stickney, senior policy and legislative affairs advisor, testified in favor of the bill at a House public hearing Jan. 20.
“We held a number of listening sessions for members of the public to share their immigration-related concerns and needs,” Stickney said. “The people feel that this bill will provide more protection and certainty.”
The Senate companion bill, SB 6002, passed committee and is scheduled for a hearing in the House Committee on Civil Rights & Judiciary on Wednesday. HB 2411 also passed committee and had a public Senate hearing Feb. 16. HB 2475 passed committee Feb. 16 and is waiting to be assigned a Senate hearing.
