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Bill would create ODOT language translation office and grants for non-English driver education
Summary
House Bill 2,990 would establish an Office of Language Translation within ODOT to standardize translations of driver materials and create a grant program for traffic-safety education in non-English languages; lawmakers and DMV officials said inconsistent translations contribute to very low pass rates among Spanish-language test takers.
Lawmakers, advocates and the Oregon Department of Transportation’s driver services administrator told the Joint Committee on Transportation on April 14 that inconsistent translations of Department of Motor Vehicles materials contribute to disproportionately low pass rates for the Class C driver knowledge test among limited‑English speakers.
Representative Travis Nelson and Representative Leslie Munoz described evidence that Spanish speakers fail the knowledge test at much higher rates than English speakers: testimony said the statewide overall pass rate is roughly 40 percent, while the pass rate for Spanish‑language test takers was reported at about 21 percent in 2024. Nelson said more than…
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