CHICAGO, Ill. (WTVO) — With nearly 24% of Illinois residents speaking a language other than English, with Spanish being the most common, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a new law to regulate language requirements at government agencies statewide.
“Illinois is a diverse state made up of people with cultural and linguistic backgrounds from around the world—hundreds of unique languages are spoken in households across the state, and those people are equally as entitled to access public services as their English-speaking counterparts,” said Pritzker.
The Language Equity and Access Act requires the Governor’s Office of New Americans to partner with the Illinois Department of Human Services to create, implement, and oversee statewide language access plans for state agencies.
The act requires an annual compliance report to the Governor’s Office and the Illinois General Assembly.
The state says, besides Spanish, Polish, Chinese, and Tagalog are the most spoken languages in the state.
“Prioritizing accessibility for people who do not speak English as a first language will open new avenues of equitable opportunities for countless Illinoisans of differing backgrounds,” said state Rep. Theresa Mah (D-Chicago).
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