Congressman David Wu praises California Law Providing Consumer Protection for Asian Americans

Wu speaks during bill signing ceremony with California Governor and Assemblywoman Judy Chu 

ALHAMBRA, CA -- Congressman David Wu (D-Ore.), September 6, 2003, participated in a bill signing ceremony with Governor Gray Davis for a new California law that requires businesses that negotiate contracts with Asian-language speakers to provide a copy of the contract in the consumers' native language.
 
"If a business contract is negotiated in an Asian language, the contract ought to be printed in that language," said Congressman David Wu.  "Assemblywoman Judy Chu deserves strong praise for authoring this important new California law."

The legislation (AB 309) sponsored by California Assemblywoman Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park) requires that a business contract, negotiated in Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, or Tagalog, be printed in the language in which it was negotiated.  The bill requires that a translated copy of the contract be provided to the consumer before the contract becomes binding.

In California, contracts negotiated in Spanish have been required to be printed in Spanish since 1974. 

"This bill will protect Asian American consumers throughout California from fraud and unscrupulous business practices," said Assemblywoman Judy Chu, who joined Governor Davis and Congressman Wu at the ceremony.

Congressman David Wu, a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, is Chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.