The Language Access Board Act of 2026 creates a new 32-member federal board to ensure that federal agencies provide language access services to people with limited English proficiency. The board, composed of presidential appointees and representatives from major federal departments, will enforce language access standards across federal programs, investigate compliance complaints, and issue guidance to federal agencies. Within two years, the board must develop accessibility standards for federal agencies to implement, which will be reviewed and updated every five years, and federal agencies must evaluate their own language access compliance biennially and report findings to Congress. The bill requires federal agencies to make important documents and public-facing materials available in languages other than English in a manner comparable to English-language accessibility, unless doing so would create an undue burden, and establishes a process for handling compliance violations through corrective action plans overseen by the Office of Management and Budget. The board will also conduct a comprehensive study within two years examining federal language access requirements, barriers faced by limited-English-proficient individuals, and the costs of inadequate translation services across government.
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