Bill
AB 247
Mandates qualified interpreters and CART for public meetings; new public buildings after 7/1/2025 must support CART, boosting access for deaf and hard of hearing residents.
Status & key dates
- Introduced: January 15, 2025 (Assembly).
- Legislative activity (selected): committee hearings and author amendments in March–April 2025; amendment (No. 127) adopting the term “qualified interpreter” and allowing electronic interpreting; first reprint issued. The bill contains a fiscal note indicating possible local fiscal impacts and an unfunded‑mandate finding for certain sections.
Purpose / intent
- Improve access and inclusion for people who are deaf or hard of hearing by (1) clarifying accommodation duties for public meetings, (2) requiring new public meeting facilities to include realtime captioning capability, (3) recognizing American Sign Language (ASL) in K–12 standards, and (4) directing an interim study on the need for a school for pupils who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Major provisions
1. Public‑meeting accommodations (NRS 241.020)
- Public officers must make reasonable efforts to accommodate persons with physical disabilities attending public meetings. The bill specifies that such efforts include, at a minimum:
- Provision of a qualified interpreter (in person or by electronic means). Amendment No. 127 aligns “qualified interpreter” with the ADA definition (28 C.F.R. § 35.104).
- Provision of Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) services (live realtime captioning).
New public‑building requirement (design date threshold)
Education / ASL standards (NRS 389.520)
Interim study on a school for the deaf (Dept. of Education)
Who would be affected
- Primary beneficiaries: people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or otherwise relying on sign language/CART to access public meetings and school programming.
- Obligated parties: public bodies and their officers who organize/host meetings; public entities that design new public buildings after July 1, 2025; the Council to Establish Academic Standards; the Department of Education; local school districts and possibly counties/cities (for costs and facility compliance).
Fiscal and procedural notes
- The bill’s fiscal notes indicate it “may have fiscal impact” on local government and contains unfunded mandates for certain provisions (notably the accommodation and building requirements).
- Amendment adopted to broaden interpreter options (ADA “qualified interpreter”) and explicitly permit electronic interpreting to address availability and geographic limitations.
- Timeline specifics: building requirement keyed to designs completed on or after July 1, 2025; the Department of Education study is to occur during the 2025–2026 interim.
Practical impact
- If enacted, AB 247 would strengthen access to public meetings (interpreting + CART), push new public facilities to be CART‑ready, promote ASL instruction standards in K–12, and produce a state study on centralized educational services for Deaf/hard‑of‑hearing pupils. Local governments should plan for potential costs to provide CART/interpreters and to equip new buildings.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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