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Nevada Commission on Ethics adopts language access plan; staff to follow up on ASL and translation resources
Summary
The Commission adopted a language access plan required by NRS 232.0081, approved modest training funding for outreach staff (including ASL and Spanish language training), and identified next steps to improve translated materials and translation requests for public meetings.
The Nevada Commission on Ethics voted Jan. 16 to adopt a language access plan intended to make the agency’s materials and public meetings more accessible to limited-English-proficiency residents and people who use American Sign Language.
The plan was presented by Executive Director Ross Armstrong, who said "NRS 232.0081 requires agencies to have a language access plan" and described the agency’s current measures — a Google Translate widget on state websites and machine-captioning options on posted meeting recordings — as starting points that need improvement.
Why it matters: The plan responds to a state statute aimed at increasing access to government services for residents who speak languages other than English. The commission’s work is primarily educational and adjudicatory, so the plan focuses on outreach materials, translations of vital forms and the ethics manual, and on options for live translation at hearings.
Key points and next steps: Armstrong told the commission the office has approved funding for training registration for the outreach and education officer to improve American Sign Language and Spanish skills, and the office will follow up to identify the specific courses. During public comment a participant asked which funding sources supported the ASL training and whether the commission had coordinated with the Commission for Persons Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Aging and Disability Services Division; Armstrong said the office had not yet established those contacts but would explore them.
The plan notes Spanish, Tagalog and Chinese as the most commonly spoken non-English languages in Nevada and recommends: translating vital forms into top languages, translating the ethics manual where useful for education, and publishing instructions on how to request translation services for meetings. Executive Director Armstrong said an earlier estimate for translating vital forms would be about $3,000, and the commission does not currently have a specific line item for translation in its operating budget.
Motion and vote: A commissioner moved to adopt the language access plan as presented; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously.
What the agency said about capacity: Armstrong said the agency is small and does not currently collect language demographics on its forms; the plan will be reviewed and updated periodically and the office will return with details on the ASL training and other resource links requested during public comment.
Legal source cited: NRS 232.0081 (language access plan requirement) was cited during the presentation.
Public participation: No written public comments were received in advance; a Zoom chat message prompted staff to note the commission will follow up on ASL training sources and coordination with state deaf-and-hard-of-hearing programs.
The commission directed staff to implement the plan’s stated improvements as resources allow and to report back on specific training and translation contracts.
