(Reprinted with amendments adopted on April 17, 2025)
FIRST REPRINT S.B. 91
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SENATE BILL NO. 91–SENATOR DOÑATE
PREFILED JANUARY 13, 2025
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JOINT SPONSOR: ASSEMBLYMEMBER GONZÁLEZ
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Referred to Committee on Growth and Infrastructure
SUMMARY—Establishes provisions relating to the use of
diacritical marks in certain governmental records.
(BDR 40-43)
FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: May have Fiscal Impact.
Effect on the State: Yes.
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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.
AN ACT relating to governmental records; authorizing records of
the State Registrar of Vital Statistics, each county health
officer and the Department of Motor Vehicles to include a
diacritical mark used in the name of a person; authorizing
licenses, identification cards and driver authorization
cards issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles to
display a diacritical mark used in the full legal name of a
person; and providing other matters properly relating
thereto.
Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
Existing law charges the State Registrar of Vital Statistics with maintaining and 1
preserving and each county health officer with collecting certain vital statistics, 2
which is defined as records of births, deaths, fetal deaths, marriages, annulments, 3
divorce and related information. (NRS 440.080, 440.110-440.260) Section 1 of this 4
bill authorizes the State Registrar and each county health officer to record a 5
diacritical mark used in the name of a person in the vital statistics of the State 6
Registrar and county health officer. 7
Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue: (1) licenses to 8
operate a motor vehicle or motorcycle, including, without limitation, instruction 9
permits, commercial driver’s licenses and motorcycle driver’s licenses; (2) 10
identification cards; and (3) driver authorization cards upon application, which 11
must include, among other requirements, the full legal name of the applicant. (NRS 12
483.2521, 483.270, 483.280, 483.290, 483.291, 483.340, 483.360, 483.375, 13
483.830, 483.850, 483.860, 483.8605, 483.908, 486.081) Sections 2 and 5 of this 14
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bill provide that if the full legal name of an applicant for such a license, 15
identification card or driver authorization card includes a diacritical mark, the 16
Department may record the diacritical mark in the records of the Department and 17
display the mark on any license, identification card or driver authorization card 18
issued by the Department. 19
Sections 1, 2 and 5 define “diacritical mark” as a mark in Latin script that is 20
added or attached to a letter to indicate the pronunciation of the letter or word. 21
Section 3 of this bill provides that the provisions of section 2 apply to 22
commercial driver’s licenses. Sections 4 and 6 of this bill apply the existing 23
definitions in existing law to the provisions of sections 1, 2 and 5. 24
Section 8 of this bill makes sections 2-7.5 of this bill effective upon the date on 25
which the United States Social Security Administration authorizes the recording 26
and display of diacritical marks on documents of the Social Security Administration 27
or upon the date on which the Director of the Department notifies the Governor and 28
the Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau that the Department has sufficient 29
funding to carry out the provisions of this bill, whichever is later. Section 8 also 30
makes the provisions of section 1 effective 6 months after sections 2-7.5 become 31
effective. 32
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN
SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Chapter 440 of NRS is hereby amended by adding 1
thereto a new section to read as follows: 2
1. If the name of a person includes a diacritical mark, the 3
State Registrar and each county health officer may record the 4
diacritical mark in the vital statistics of the State Registrar or 5
county health officer, as applicable. 6
2. As used in this section, “diacritical mark” means a mark in 7
Latin script that is added or attached to a letter to indicate the 8
pronunciation of the letter or word. The term includes, without 9
limitation, accents, tildes, graves, umlauts and cedillas. 10
Sec. 2. Chapter 483 of NRS is hereby amended by adding 11
thereto a new section to read as follows: 12
1. If the full legal name of an applicant for a license, a 13
commercial driver’s license, an identification card or a driver 14
authorization card includes a diacritical mark, the Department 15
may record the diacritical mark in the records of the Department 16
and display the mark on any license, identification card or driver 17
authorization card issued by the Department. 18
2. As used in this section, “diacritical mark” means a mark in 19
Latin script that is added or attached to a letter to indicate the 20
pronunciation of the letter or word. The term includes, without 21
limitation, accents, tildes, graves, umlauts and cedillas. 22
Sec. 3. NRS 483.015 is hereby amended to read as follows: 23
483.015 Except as otherwise provided in NRS 483.330 [,] and 24
section 2 of this act, the provisions of NRS 483.010 to 483.630, 25
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inclusive, and section 2 of this act, apply only with respect to 1
noncommercial drivers’ licenses. 2
Sec. 4. NRS 483.020 is hereby amended to read as follows: 3
483.020 As used in NRS 483.010 to 483.630, inclusive, and 4
section 2 of this act, unless the context otherwise requires, the 5
words and terms defined in NRS 483.030 to 483.190, inclusive, 6
have the meanings ascribed to them in those sections. 7
Sec. 5. Chapter 486 of NRS is hereby amended by adding 8
thereto a new section to read as follows: 9
1. If the full legal name of an applicant for a motorcycle 10
driver’s license includes a diacritical mark, the Department may 11
record the diacritical mark in the records of the Department and 12
display the mark on any motorcycle driver’s license issued by the 13
Department. 14
2. As used in this section, “diacritical mark” means a mark in 15
Latin script that is added or attached to a letter to indicate the 16
pronunciation of the letter or word. The term includes, without 17
limitation, accents, tildes, graves, umlauts and cedillas. 18
Sec. 6. NRS 486.011 is hereby amended to read as follows: 19
486.011 As used in NRS 486.011 to 486.381, inclusive, and 20
section 5 of this act, unless the context otherwise requires, the 21
words and terms defined in NRS 486.015 to 486.057, inclusive, 22
have the meanings ascribed to them in those sections. 23
Sec. 7. (Deleted by amendment.) 24
Sec. 7.5. As soon as practicable after determining that the 25
Department of Motor Vehicles has sufficient resources to carry out 26
the provisions of sections 2 and 5 of this act, the Director of the 27
Department shall notify the Governor and the Director of the 28
Legislative Counsel Bureau of the fact and shall publish notice to 29
the public of the fact on the Internet website of the Department. 30
Sec. 8. 1. This section becomes effective upon passage and 31
approval. 32
2. Sections 2 to 7.5, inclusive, of this act become effective on 33
the later of: 34
(a) The date on which the United States Social Security 35
Administration authorizes the recording and display of diacritical 36
marks on documents of the Social Security Administration; or 37
(b) The date on which the Director of the Department of Motor 38
Vehicles notifies the Governor and the Director of the Legislative 39
Counsel Bureau that the Department has sufficient funding to carry 40
out the provisions of sections 2 and 5 of this act. 41
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3. Section 1 of this act becomes effective 6 months after the 1
date on which sections 2 to 7.5, inclusive, of this act become 2
effective pursuant to subsection 2. 3
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