Tell Chairman Mendelson: Markup the DC Language Access Amendment Now!

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Dear DC Community Members,

With all the attacks happening to our immigrant communities, DC Chairman Phil Mendelson continues to deny DC immigrants justice by stalling the passage of the Language Access for Education Amendment Act of 2017, which would give immigrants across the city access to services in their language through interpretation and translation.

In the age of Trump, the deportation machine and mass discrimination against immigrants, our communities need a strong language access law and can’t wait! This amendment was first introduced in 2014 and has been stalled in the Council for years.

This amendment seeks to strengthen language access in the following areas:

• Enforcement of the provisions of the existing language access law
• Transparency in the complaint process and corrective actions taken
• Compensation for those filing complaints who have been treated unlawfully
• Incentives to pursue the complaint process in its entirety
• Language support for students, parents, and community members in the form of bilingual staff, teachers, and counselors in schools.

Can you take a minute to call Councilmember Mendelson to demand he mark up the 2017 Language Access for Education Amendment Act?

—CALL IN NUMBER: 202- 724-8032

—SAMPLE SCRIPT:

My name is [NAME] from [YOUR WARD]. I ask that Chairman Mendelson be a champion for DC immigrants by scheduling the 2017 Language Access for Education Amendment Act for immediate markup. Our immigrant communities, now more than ever, need a strong language access law in order to survive and thrive in the District. We can't wait! Is there a date set for markup? Why does he continue to delay our immigrant communities?