Bill would require language assistance in health-care facilities and bar children from serving as interpreters

Senate Bill 188, presented to the Assembly Committee on Health and Human Services, would require certain health-care facilities and providers to take "reasonable steps to provide a person with limited English proficiency with language assistance under certain circumstances," and would prohibit children from acting as interpreters except in narrowly defined emergency circumstances.

The measure’s sponsor, Senator Fabian Donati, told the committee the bill is intended to codify protections already found in federal law. "This is codifying what the Affordable Care Act requires federally," Donati said, adding a personal example: "I was the one that had to translate for my father when he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes." He said children lack the experience to convey medical nuance and that professional interpreters preserve tone and detail.

The bill text mirrors Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act by addressing language access for persons with limited English proficiency and by prescribing requirements governing use of interpreters and translators. Leticia Delgado, introduced by the sponsor as an intern from UNLV, summarized the bill’s provisions: "It requires certain healthcare facilities and providers of healthcare to take reasonable steps to to provide a person with limited English proficiency with language assistance under certain circumstances." Delgado emphasized national trends and the gap between Nevada’s diversity and the representation in its health-care workforce.

Committee members asked how compliance would be determined. On who decides whether an interpreter "is qualified," the sponsor’s team said the health facility would make that determination and that the bill was written to be flexible to accommodate technological solutions such as remote interpreting services and live transcription. "We wanted the law to be as flexible as possible because technology is changing," a member of the sponsor’s team said.

Testimony from health-care and community witnesses largely supported the bill. Retired community health nurse Lorraine Oliver said the bill’s protections for children were "very, very strong" and urged sensitivity to cultural needs in implementation. Bridget Choi, a nursing student and Korean community organizer, recounted taking her grandmother to an imaging center and said "children should never be placed in the position of translating complex medical information," noting the growth of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in Nevada.

Representatives of the Nevada State Medical Association and the City of Henderson testified in neutral or supportive tones and thanked the sponsor for clarifying that the bill targets facility-based services and not emergency medical services (EMS). The Nevada State Medical Association noted a friendly amendment offered during the hearing to remove or modify language that would label violations as "unprofessional conduct," and the sponsor indicated willingness to accept that change. Legal counsel from the Legislative Counsel Bureau confirmed that state and federal authorities could each take enforcement actions if both provided for penalties.

The committee heard no formal vote during this hearing. The sponsor closed the bill’s hearing after testimony and reserved closing comments.

If enacted, SB 188 would add state-level enforceability and clearer expectations for Nevada providers about language access at health-care facilities; the bill’s text still provides flexibility for technology-assisted interpreting and for limited exceptions in emergency situations.