Bill would create ODOT language translation office and grants for non-English driver education

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 75,000 Spanish tests were administered in 2024.

The dash‑2 amendment to HB 2,990, as described in the hearing, would establish an Office of Language Translation within the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to coordinate translations of written public materials and contract with a single translation vendor. The office would consult community language experts and produce consistent, plain‑language translations for the five most commonly spoken non‑English languages in Oregon. The bill would also create a grant program for traffic‑safety education courses delivered in languages other than English and require reporting to the Legislature on implementation progress and pass rates by language.

Amy Joyce, administrator of Oregon’s DMV, told the committee the agency has tried multiple approaches—different vendors and bilingual staff reviews—but inconsistent procurement work orders have resulted in variant translations and mismatches between test materials and study guides. Joyce described the bill as “loosely modeled” on the Secretary of State’s translation approach for voter materials and said a single contracted vendor and a glossary of standard terms would improve consistency.

Representative Munoz emphasized the human impact: ability to drive affects work, health care access and daily life, especially in rural areas. Committee members asked about dialect choices (for example, variants of Spanish) and implementation timelines; DMV and sponsors said implementation would be iterative and that the dash‑2 package would require additional funding beyond the governor’s 2025‑27 budget to support a new office and the grant program.

The committee closed the public hearing on HB 2,990 after testimony from representatives, DMV leadership and advocates; sponsors said they are working on a small dash‑3 amendment to tighten language.

Ending: The bill’s proponents described a data‑driven equity problem and a practical administrative fix: centralize translation work, consult community experts, and fund education grants. The committee did not take a floor vote on the measure in this hearing.