DETROIT, MI - Rising Voices, a leading Asian American advocacy organization in Michigan, applauds the passage of the common sense and bipartisan “Equal Language Access to State Services” bill package (SB 382 and 383) in the state Senate. We are thankful to Senator Stephanie Chang and Senator Mary Cavanagh who introduced and championed these bills through the Senate.
When Michiganders cannot communicate fully and accurately with state agencies, they are denied fair and equal access to resources, information, and services. As our state population grows more diverse, building systems-wide language access and accountability can improve the lives of over 300,000 LEP residents, particularly immigrants and communities of color facing systemic inequities. Our state has a lot to be proud of right now—we’re making great strides towards building a more welcoming and inclusive place to live and we are one step closer to that reality today.
Rising Voices and coalition partners testified in front of the Senate Committee on Housing and Human Services in September and the House Committee on Government Operations this week in support of this legislation. We urge the House to follow suit and quickly pass this legislation in order to send it to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s desk for her signature.
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Rising Voices, a project of the Center for Empowered Politics, is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization that seeks to increase the civic participation of Asian Americans in Michigan by developing the leadership, organizing, and power-building capacity of Asian American women, youth and communities. risingvoicesaaf.org