Justice Department Recognizes Anniversary of Executive Order 13166: Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency

Yesterday marked the 24th anniversary of Executive Order 13166, “Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency.” At its core, the Order acknowledges the fundamental principle that the federal government must be able to understand and communicate with all people in the United States, including those with limited English proficiency (LEP), to keep our country and communities safe and prosperous.

Today, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division has released a snapshot of its review to date of federal agency language access plans. We will provide additional information about federal agency progress and trends in the months to come as we continue to work with federal agencies on updating and implementing their language access plans.

Communication is critical to our mission. For over two decades, the department has worked in partnership with federal agencies and stakeholders to eliminate language barriers to federal and federally funded programs or services. Misunderstandings can lead to tragic consequences in emergency situations, health care systems, and the justice system. Indeed, communicating with and understanding people with LEP is critical to enforcing the law, protecting the environment, providing housing or food assistance, promoting student achievement, ensuring public health and upholding economic prosperity and justice. When government agencies provide, for example, translations of vital documents or offer an interpreter during important conversations or hearings, we enhance the effectiveness of federal and federally funded programs and services, ensuring they reach and benefit all intended communities.

The department remains steadfast in its commitment to ensure that our own programs and the programs we fund remain open to all, regardless of a person’s English proficiency. While agencies across the federal government have made much progress, we understand that challenges lie ahead. For example, through our coordinating role, we conducted a detailed review of 40 updated federal agency language access plans, where we found that increasing numbers of federal agencies have committed to:

• Establishing dedicated language access personnel and staff training protocols to ensure effective implementation;
• Improving quality controls to require accurate and quality-assessed language assistance services; and
• Expanding access to information through multilingual online content and digital communications.

Along with our coordinating role, we have prioritized learning about, implementing and disseminating information about effective policies and procedures to eliminate language barriers to our programs or the programs we fund. For example:

• After the department’s inaugural Language Access Coordinator’s term appointment expired, the Office for Access to Justice (ATJ) made the position permanent and filled the role with a senior civil service Language Access Coordinator to ensure the longevity of this critical work. ATJ is also onboarding additional staff to support the Language Access Coordinator’s work and to further develop the Language Access Program.
• In accordance with the department’s Language Access Plan, the ATJ department-wide Language Access Coordinator is working with department components to develop component-specific language access plans. This will allow components to develop language access policies that are specific to each component’s unique mission and mandates, in line with the overall policies of the department’s Language Access plan.
• Over the past two years, the ATJ Language Access Program has provided technical assistance and arranged for translation services for over 50 offices across the department, to expand language access across the department’s public facing content. The program has completed more than 75 translation projects involving press releases, outreach materials, digital content, reports and more.
• As part of the Civil Rights Division’s Law Enforcement Language Access Initiative (LELAI), Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division issued a letter to law enforcement colleagues in December 2023 reiterating their federal civil rights obligations to provide language assistance services to people with LEP, and to provide effective communication to deaf and hard of hearing people.
• Through LELAI, the Civil Rights Division also partnered with the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and the National Center for Policing Innovation to launch key resources on the COPS Training Portal to help law enforcement agencies overcome language barriers in compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968.
• The division continues to work in partnership with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country to help law enforcement agencies meet their obligation to provide meaningful language assistance to people with LEP to better serve and protect communities. Examples of work with specific law enforcement agencies include:
  • Settlement Agreement with Sheriff’s Office in King County, Washington State
  • Settlement Agreement and Language Access Plan with Denver Police Department, Colorado
• The division also posted voting rights materials for the general public in over a dozen languages, including a Know Your Rights brochure and a document explaining the language requirements of Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  These documents can be found at Voting | Voting Rights (justice.gov).

In the coming year, the Civil Rights Division will continue to lead meetings of the Federal Language Access Working Group. During these interagency meetings, we learn and share information about conducting effective language access staff training; recruiting, assessing, hiring and retaining multilingual staff; contracting for qualified translators and interpreters; and using technology to deliver accurate and reliable language assistance services. Through this unified approach, we seek to fulfill the promise of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Executive Order 13166 in preventing discrimination and ensuring equal treatment under the law.