Section 1 Short Title
This Act may be cited as the “DHS Communication Enhancement Act of 2015”.
DHS Communication Enhancement Act of 2015
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to assess and submit to Congress a report on the ability of the Department of Homeland Security to convey information to, collect information from, and serve individuals with limited English proficiency.
Sec. 2 Assessing and developing a plan to improve DHS communication with and service of individuals with limited English proficiency
Assessment— Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Under Secretary for Management, shall complete an assessment of the ability of the Department of Homeland Security to convey information to, collect information from, and serve individuals with limited English proficiency. With respect to each component in the Department, the assessment shall—
identify the languages spoken fluently and read by individuals with limited English proficiency commonly encountered by personnel of the component;
review the public materials of the component to assess the extent to which the materials are available in the languages identified under paragraph (1); and
assess the ability of personnel of the component to communicate with and serve individuals with limited English proficiency.
Report; implementation plan— Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate concerning the assessment under subsection (a). Such report shall include—
a summary of the findings of such assessment for each component of the Department; and
a plan, including a timeline for implementation, developed in consultation with the head of each component, to improve the ability of each component to convey information to, collect information from, and serve individuals with limited English proficiency.