HABLA Act of 2025
The HABLA Act of 2025 (Helping All Beneficiaries with Language Access Act) is designed to codify Executive Order 13166, which aims to improve access to federal programs and activities for people with limited English proficiency (LEP). The bill requires federal agencies to develop and implement plans to ensure eligible LEP individuals can meaningfully access federally conducted programs and activities. For programs that provide federal financial assistance, the act directs agencies to draft agency-specific guidance for recipients to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (which prohibits national origin discrimination affecting LEP persons) and to align that guidance with DOJ’s existing LEP guidance. The act also establishes stakeholder consultation requirements, sets timelines for plan development and publication, and creates a central DOJ repository for all agency plans and guidance. Key definitions are provided to clarify who is considered an LEP person and an eligible LEP person.
Key Points
- 1Codifies Executive Order 13166 to improve language access for LEP individuals across federally conducted programs and federally assisted activities.
- 2Federally conducted programs: agencies must develop LEP access plans within 120 days of the act’s effective date, ensure plans comply with LEP Guidance, and publish final plans on agency websites accessible to LEP people; DOJ will maintain a central repository of these plans.
- 3Federally assisted programs: agencies must draft agency-specific guidance for recipients to comply with Title VI regarding LEP, aligned with DOJ LEP Guidance; agencies with existing compliant guidance should review it for any needed updates; DOJ must review and approve the agency guidance within 120 days, then publish in the Federal Register for public comment.
- 4Consultations: agencies must provide at least 60 days for stakeholder input, including LEP individuals and their organizations, to shape practical, fiscally responsible, and implementable approaches.
- 5Definitions: clarifies who counts as an LEP person (someone whose first language is not English and who chooses to receive assistance in another language) and who is an eligible LEP person (an LEP person legally entitled to a particular government service).