Bill
A 387
Requires general hospitals to provide no-cost language assistance (interpreters, translations) so LEP and deaf patients can access care and understand treatment and rights.
Status and procedural history
- Bill number: A387
- Title: Requires general hospitals to provide language assistance services
- Introduced: January 8, 2025
- Current status: Returned to Assembly (June 10, 2025) after passage by the Senate
- Key actions: Referred to Assembly Health (1/8/2025); printed as A387A (3/6/2025); amended on third reading (3/25/2025); passed Assembly (5/14/2025) and delivered to Senate; substituted for companion S6288B and passed Senate (6/10/2025); returned to Assembly (6/10/2025).
- Primary sponsor: Assemblymember Nily Rozic. Multiple cosponsors from across the Assembly.
Purpose and intent
- The bill’s stated purpose (from its title) is to require general hospitals to provide language assistance services. The intent is to ensure patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) or who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can access hospital services, communicate effectively with providers, and understand their rights, diagnoses, treatment options and discharge instructions.
Key provisions (summary and expected elements)
- The bill title indicates hospitals would be required to offer language assistance. While the full text should be consulted for precise requirements, such legislation typically includes:
- A definition of covered parties (general hospitals) and covered populations (LEP patients, deaf or hard-of-hearing patients).
- A requirement to provide timely, competent language assistance at no cost to the patient — e.g., in-person qualified interpreters, telephonic or video remote interpreting, and qualified sign-language interpreters.
- Provision of translated written materials for commonly encountered languages and for informed consent, discharge instructions, and notices of rights.
- Notification obligations (posting signs, informing patients of their right to language services).
- Staff training and policies for when and how to obtain interpretation/translation.
- Documentation and recordkeeping requirements (e.g., noting in the medical record when language services are provided).
- Reporting or compliance obligations to the State Department of Health and potential enforcement mechanisms (inspections, corrective action plans, civil penalties) — if included in the final text.
Who is affected
- Directly: general hospitals licensed in the state (administration, clinicians, patient services).
- Indirectly: LEP and deaf/hard-of-hearing patients and their families, interpreter service vendors, hospital budgets and staffing, state health oversight agencies.
Potential impact
- Improved access to care, patient safety, informed consent, and health equity for LEP and deaf patients.
- Increased administrative and operational costs for hospitals to secure qualified interpreters, translate materials, train staff, and comply with reporting.
- Potential workforce demand for qualified medical interpreters and remote interpretation services.
Next steps and recommendations
- A387 was returned to the Assembly after the Senate substituted S6288B; this often indicates concurrence/technical steps are needed before final enactment. For exact obligations, timelines, funding, and enforcement provisions, consult the bill text (A387A/387B as amended) and any fiscal notes or Department of Health guidance accompanying the bill.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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