Resolution 140764

..Title Proposing an amendment to The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter to provide for the adoption of language access plans by all City agencies; and providing for the submission of the amendment to the electors of Philadelphia. ..Body WHEREAS, Under Section 6 of the First Class City Home Rule Act (53 P.S. §13106), an amendment to The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter may be proposed by a resolution of the Council of the City of Philadelphia adopted with the concurrence of two-thirds of its elected members; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That the following amendment to The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter is hereby proposed and shall be submitted to the electors of the City on an election date designated by ordinance: ARTICLE VIII PROVISIONS OF GENERAL APPLICATION * * * CHAPTER 6 PROVISIONS APPLICABLE THROUGHOUT CITY GOVERNMENT. § 8-600. Language Access Plans. (1) Every office, department, board and commission, including but not limited to the Council and the former county offices and bodies, ("all agencies") shall: (a) prepare a plan to promote access to City services, compliance with City law and ease of contact with, and participation within, government in the City for people with limited English proficiency ("language access plans") in accordance with any generally applicable language access policy established by the Mayor; (b) implement such plan in accordance with Section A-200; (c) provide an annual report regarding the status of implementation of such plan to such City office, department or agency as may be designated by the Mayor, in accordance with Section A-200. (2) The entity designated by the Mayor pursuant to subsection (1)(c) shall: (a) assist all agencies with the preparation of their language access plans and annual reports; (b) upon acceptance of a final report, file the report with the Department of Records, which shall make such report available to the public; and (c) evaluate all agencies' compliance with their language access plans and all applicable policies and laws, including state and federal law, regarding access to government by individuals with limited English proficiency. All agencies shall cooperate with the entity designated by the Mayor in connection with the entity's evaluation of the agency's compliance with its language access plan. * * * APPENDIX * * * CHAPTER A-2 § A-200. Schedule. This charter shall become effective on the first Monday of January, 1952, except in the following particulars: * * * ( ) The amendments to this Charter relating to Language Access Plans set forth in Section 8-600 shall take effect June 1, 2015. All agencies shall certify compliance with Subsection 8-600(1)(b) to the Office of the Managing Director by June 1, 2016. The first reports required pursuant to Subsection 8-600(1)(c) shall be filed by December 1, 2015. ___________________________________ Explanation: Italics indicates new atter added. ..End 1 2