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Assembly requires EBT website and app to provide 12 non‑English languages
Summary
To combat fraud and improve access, the Assembly passed a bill mandating that the state's EBT website and mobile applications be available in the 12 most common non‑English languages; sponsors said the change is low‑cost and will keep benefits with intended recipients; vote 110–32.
The Assembly advanced and passed legislation requiring that the state's electronic benefits transfer (EBT) website and the EBT Edge mobile application be made available in the 12 most common non‑English languages.
Sponsor Assemblymember Berger said the bill responds to repeated fraud and theft incidents tied to language barriers on the vendor‑operated EBT platform and that translation and language‑access features would cost relatively little compared with the value of benefits lost by fraud. Berger cited a recent fraud spike (roughly $80 million in theft since 2022 in some accounts) and said non‑English speakers had been particularly vulnerable when vendors' interfaces did not offer translations.
Members sought clarity on whether the requirement would impose new responsibilities on counties; Berger said the bill targets the state platform (EBT Edge), which is contracted with Fidelity National Information Services (FIS) via OTDA, and does not impose new duties on county social‑services offices. The New York State Public Welfare Association had argued individual counties should be allowed to provide localized language services for particular refugee or immigrant populations, but Berger said broader state coverage on the EBT platform is intended to provide baseline protections for the largest affected groups.
The Assembly recorded 110 ayes and 32 noes and passed the act; the clerk read the final section indicating the act takes effect on the 30th day after chaptering.
