Week 3 – Discussion Board 1

[Art Liebl]

In at least 250 words talk about if you think present day legislation is enough. Do you see executive order 13166 being applied in your state? Respond to two fellow students by Monday.

[Emily Arias-Perez]

On August 11, 2000, President Bill Clinton signed the Executive Order 13166 to help improve access to people with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). However, on March 1, 2025, President Donald Trump signed a new Executive Order 14224, which revoked order 13166 making English as the official language of The United States.

I believe executive order 14224 is very unfair to all individuals who simply cannot communicate in the English language. The lack of English and resources impacts a limited English speaker very negatively; this can cause many problems or even health issues due to the lack of communication.

Although the Executive Order 14224, is in affect Massachusetts has statutory and regulatory standards for language
access which are meant to “provide the broadest possible protection for the rights of non-English speaking
persons to understand and to be understood. Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act requires services that receive federal funds to make provisions to
ensure that limited English speakers can meaningfully access important services such as education, legal
services, health and mental health care. I can see Executive order 13166 being applied to our state because of this act.

[Brian Pacheco]

Totally agree on your view on Executive Order 14224!

[Luanna Vieira Rosa]

I agree with what you said about Executive Order 14224!

• This reply was modified 1 week, 1 day ago by Luanna Vieira.

[Judy Guarin]

Yes I totally agree with you on how unfortunate and unfair, executive order #14224 is.

[Alejandra Gana]

Yes- Executive Order 13166 does apply in Massachusetts, by improving Access to Services for persons with limited English Proficiency (LEP)
the Way it applies is by Federal Agencies to ensure their services are accessible to LEP individuals.
Because Massachusetts agencies and organizations receive Federal funding for health, education, housing. they are legally bound to comply with this order.
The State of Massachusetts must provide language access services to LEP residents when offering federally funded programs.

[Emily Arias-Perez]

I agree

[Shannelys Guzman]

I think its great MA also enforces those rules and rights although trumps change in policy

[Alejandra Gana]

I do think present legislation is enough at this point, In the Medical area, meaning Department of public health and department of transitional assistance have language access plans aligned with EO 13166.

[Brian Pacheco]

Yes, I seen that too about the Department of Public Health, I didn’t know that!

[Luanna Vieira Rosa]

I didn’t know that either!

[Brian Pacheco]

Yes, Executive Order 13166 applies in the state of Massachusetts, helping to improve access to services for persons with limited English Proficiency (LEP). Since nearly all hospitals and most community health centers in Massachusetts receive federal funding, Executive Order 13166 applies directly to them. Massachusetts also has its own state-level laws that reinforce federal requirements. Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 111, Section 25J, requires acute-care hospitals and clinics to provide interpreter services for non-English-speaking patients. DPH (The department of public health) also monitors Massachusetts compliance with this making sure it is implemented and can/will take action if hospitals fail to provide necessary requirements of the law.

I feel that the present day legislation is there, but could quickly fall short. I’ve read that enforcement is limited because many hospitals are unaware of, or don’t comply with federal requirements. Funding is limited, smaller rural hospitals may struggle to be able to afford/employ Professional interpreters and may just rely on family or no one at all. Overall quality control is lacking as there are no universal national standards for interpreter certification across all languages or settings. The lack of professional interpreters sounds very scary, I feel that it is very unfair to all patients who cannot communicate or express themselves in the English language. The lack of resources would highly impact that patient in so many ways potentially causing many problems due to the lack of communication services available. I feel like the legislation is there, but could definitely use improvements.

[Dayane Malone]

I agree with you Brian we can do need improvements, everyone deserves equal access to services no matter what language they speak.

[Luanna Vieira Rosa]

I think the laws we have today, like Executive Order 13166 and Civil Rights Act, are a good start when it comes to helping people who don’t speak English well get equal access to services. Executive order 13166 was signed in 2000 and says that any program or agency that gets federal money has to make sure people with limited English proficiency can understand and use their services. This means offering interpreters, translated documents, and other ways to help people communicate.

Even though the law is clear, I don’t think it’s applied evenly everywhere. Some states and organizations do a great job following it, but others don’t have enough funding or trained staff. I myself have interpreted multiple times for my mother growing up and it definitely would’ve been a little more accurate if it was a licensed interpreter interpreting. In Massachusetts I believe hospitals offer and clinics offer in person or remote interpreting, translate forms. Smaller offices or community programs sometimes can’t provide that same level of help.

Overall I think the legislation is strong, but it needs better enforcement, more funding, and more awareness. The goal should be to make sure everyone can get fair and equal access to important services like healthcare, education, and government help.

[Judy Guarin]

I agree 100% with you, They need to be more aware of how important these services are for the people who do not speak English well or at all.

[Judy Guarin]

I believe that present-day legislation has made progress in protecting the rights of people with limited English proficiency (LEP). However; there is still a lot of improvement needed. Executive Order 13166, signed in 2000 by President Bill Clinton, requires any organization receiving federal funding to provide free beneficial bilingual assistance to individuals who do not speak English well. This includes hospitals, schools, and public agencies. The goal is to make sure language is not a barrier when receiving services such as healthcare, education, or legal assistance.
In my state (RI), I do see Executive Order 13166 being applied, especially in healthcare settings as well as public schools. Many hospitals and schools offer interpreting services, bilingual staff, and translated documents for patients, students, and parents. For example, when patients/parents need to fill out or sign consent forms, they can request a qualified interpreter at no cost. This shows that the law is being enforced. However, not all organizations go along with it fully. Some smaller clinics or offices still rely on family members or untrained staff to interpret, which can lead to misunderstandings and even serious errors.
Overall, the existing legislation is helpful, but not enough. Language access is a civil right, and yet many individuals continue to face barriers because of lack of funding, awareness, or enforcement. To truly meet the spirit of Executive Order 13166, more consistent monitoring, training, and accountability are needed across all federally funded programs. Ensuring equal access for everyone, regardless of language, should remain a national priority.

[Emily Arias-Perez]

Love how you explained this.

[Dayane Malone]

Hi Judy, I agree with you. “The existing legislation is helpful, but not enough”.

[Shannelys Guzman]

I definitely agree with you we are enforcing the law in certain areas but we could use some improvement for sure so everyone’s on the same page.

[Dayane Malone]

Executive Order 13166, created in 2000, is one of the most important rules that protects people with Limited English Proficiency. This order says that federal agencies and any programs that receive federal funds must make sure everyone can access their services, even if they don’t speak English well. This includes providing interpreters, translating important forms, and making sure no one is excluded because of language barriers.
In theory this law is strong because it supports equal access and fairness for all. It connects directly to the Civil Rights Act, which says that people cannot face discrimination based on national origin. However, in practice, Executive Order 13166 is not always followed the same way everywhere. Some agencies and organizations do a great job offering translation and interpretation, but others struggle because they lack money, training, or awareness. The order also does not give people a direct way to take legal action if their rights are ignored, which makes it harder to enforce.
In Massachusetts, we can see the influence of this order in hospitals, schools, and courts that provide interpreter services. The state has made efforts to make information available in multiple languages and to train staff to help LEP individuals. However, gaps still exist. Smaller offices or less common languages often don’t get the same level of support, which means some people still face communication barriers.
Overall, I believe that today’s legislation is a good start but not enough. Massachusetts is doing better than many other states, but there is still a need for stronger state laws, better enforcement, and more resources. Everyone deserves equal access to services regardless of what language they speak.

[Shannelys Guzman]

I do not feel present legislation is enough for those who speak limited English. The battles happen daily in all different settings, everyone is not on the same page about us all being equal no matter if we speak English fluently or not. From the grocery store to the pharmacy picking up medications and not understanding the information or instructions being provided. Present legislation could use some attention for all the concerns of limited English speaking individuals we have in our country having equal rights to understand things like there health and education. I do see executive order 13166 being applied in my state in many different areas. Due to the lack of enforcement of this order lots of places pull off not abiding. Sure many hospitals and medical places display info in the top three languages as required. “Rhode Island General Law § 23-17-54 mandates that hospitals and emergency care facilities provide qualified interpreters and post multilingual notices for the top three most common non-English languages.” State of Rhode Island,Department of Health website. I have personally seen it applied but also not being applied so it really does depend on the place and situation.

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