Senate panel hears bill to require ASL included in public‑employee language pay differentials

Senate Chair Taylor opened a public hearing on Senate Bill 731 on Jan. 28, 2025, saying the committee would hear and pass out one bill that day. The bill, carried to the committee by Senator Sarah Gelser Blouin, would require that when a public employer’s employment policies provide a pay differential for a public employee’s use of bilingual or multilingual skills in performing assigned duties, the policy must also provide a pay differential for an employee’s use of American Sign Language in performing assigned duties.