NY governor Kathy Hochul says racism is a ‘public health crisis’ after signing 6 anti-hate legislations

January 3, 2022

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed six anti-hate legislation on Dec. 23 to address discrimination and racial injustice.

Six steps towards a more equitable New York

“For far too long, communities of color in New York have been held back by systemic racism and inequitable treatment,” Hochul said in a public statement. “I am proud to sign legislation that addresses this crisis head-on, addressing racism, expanding equity and improving access for all.”

Legislation S.2987-A/A.5679 declares racism a public health crisis.

Legislation S.70-A/A.2230 enacts the hate crimes analysis and review act.

Legislation S.6639-A/A.6896-A requires the collection of certain demographic data by certain state agencies, boards, departments and commissions.

Legislation S.1451-A/A.191 requires a health equity assessment to be filed with an application for any project that will affect a hospital’s health care services.

Legislation A.1451-A/A.6215 requires the New York State Office of Technology Services to advise all state agencies in the implementation of language translation technology.

Legislation S.4316/A.4572 expands the list of diseases for which a newborn can be screened in order to include conditions more prevalent in newborns from the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia.

Response from Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou

Assemblymember Niou said she feels Legislation S.6639-A/A.6896-A will help ensure New York’s Asian Americans are fully seen and represented in the state’s decision making.

“We cannot begin to address the challenges in our AAPI communities until we recognize the diversity within the AAPI community itself,” she said. “While some AAPI communities share traditions or connections based on history or location, the majority of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are members of distinct ethnic groups who have their own culture, languages, and needs. This law will allow our state to collect crucial data and information for each community, in order to help address the unique problems each community faces and better serve our AAPI New Yorkers statewide.”

Niou said Legislation A.1451-A/A.6215, which will require the New York State Office of Technology Services to advise all state agencies in the implementation of language translation technology, will help Asian Americans in impoverished communities.

“Asian-American communities are among the most impoverished in New York,” Niou said. “They also faced some of the toughest headwinds even before the pandemic began while also being unable to navigate critical government services due to a lack of language accessibility. This legislation improves equity of access to crucial government services by implementing language accessibility in our government and helps build a New York that works for all of us, regardless of the language we speak.”

Featured Image via Governor Kathy Hochul

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