HB 461 - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE
26Mar2025... 0471h
2025 SESSION
25-0891
11/09
HOUSE BILL 461
AN ACT relative to department of safety and department of motor vehicle training and testing materials.
SPONSORS: Rep. T. Walsh, Merr. 10; Rep. Gorski, Hills. 2; Rep. Hill, Merr. 2; Rep. S. Smith, Sull. 3
COMMITTEE: Transportation
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AMENDED ANALYSIS
This bill requires all printed and digitally available driver's license examination-related materials, including the examination itself, be available and administered in the English language only. This bill also prohibits in-person or electronic translation assistance.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
26Mar2025... 0471h 25-0891
11/09
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five
AN ACT relative to department of safety and department of motor vehicle training and testing materials.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Section; Language Requirements for Driver's License Examination and Examination-Related Materials. Amend RSA 263 by inserting after section 263:6-d the following new section:
263:6-e Language Requirements for Driver's License Examination and Examination-Related Materials.
I. All driver's license examinations and examination-related materials, whether in print or available digitally, shall be displayed or otherwise distributed in the English language only, except that American Sign Language shall be used for individuals who communicate using sign language.
II. The department of safety shall deny any and all requests, regardless of circumstance, for an examination in a language other than English or American Sign Language. A person required to take any examination as a condition for license renewal or reinstatement shall be required to take the examination in English or American Sign Language.
III. The commissioner of the department of safety and the director of the division of motor vehicles shall not acquire any digitally produced or printed material described in paragraph I of this section that is in any language other than English or American Sign Language, notwithstanding contractual agreements made prior to the effective date of this section.
IV. Any surplus non-English or non-American Sign Language examination or examination-related material remaining or existing in the possession of the division of motor vehicles after the effective date of this section shall not be distributed or displayed for any reason.
V.(a) No person may take any portion of a driver's license examination with the assistance of:
(1) An in-person translator.
(2) A mobile translation application on a personal electronic device.
(3) A translation computer program or translation software application on a desktop computer, laptop computer, or tablet.
(4) Any other device distributed to a non-English or non-American Sign Language speaker to assist that person with the translation of English or American Sign Language.
(b) Devices used to aid a person with hearing or seeing the English language or seeing American Sign Language shall be permitted.
VI. The department of safety shall adopt rules in accordance with RSA 541-A regarding this section.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2026.