NFLC to Assist State of Maryland in Assessing Language Needs

Wednesday, July 18, 2001

The Maryland State Department of Human Resources has awarded the National Foreign Language Center a contract to assist in determining the impact of foreign languages on the operations of the government of the State of Maryland, and to assist in developing policies for meeting the language needs of the state government. The project is in response to the Maryland General Assembly's passage of a bill requiring that the state determine the degree to which Low English Proficiency citizens and residents have access to state services (chapter 396 of The Acts of 2001).

Commenting on this new NFLC project, Richard Brecht, NFLC Director, noted that "it puts us in a position to respond to the needs of the State of Maryland, where we reside, and it advances our mission by furthering our understanding of how language needs are played out at the state and local level." Brecht announced that the project will be directed by William Rivers, NFLC Associate for Language Policy.