Washington, D.C. - Today Representative Dina Titus of Nevada’s First Congressional District celebrated the passage of the TRANSLATE Act (H.R. 5574) through the House Committee on Homeland Security. Representative Titus introduced this bill to make air travel easier for non-English speakers, international travelers, and people with vision or hearing impairments. 

“Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, cities like Las Vegas have borne the brunt of the virus’s disastrous effects on travel and tourism. In a typical year, nearly 50 million people pass through the gates of McCarran International Airport in my congressional district. In 2020, McCarran saw less than half the passenger volume of the previous year. This echoes the enormous impact the pandemic has had on every part of Las Vegas, including on workers, businesses, and families,” said Congresswoman Titus. 

“We’ve seen travel begin to rebound at McCarran, where checkpoint numbers have been steadily rising since the start of the year. Visitors are eager to return to Las Vegas, and Las Vegas has been working hard to welcome them back quickly and safely. With travel numbers increasing and the President’s announcement that we will reopen our borders to vaccinated international travelers starting November 8, McCarran and other major airports will get busier and busier.

“The TSA Reaching Across Nationalities, Societies, and Languages to Advance Traveler Education Act or TRANSLATE Act, will make traveling easier for visitors from around the world who may not be familiar with TSA protocols. Understanding what is expected of you at the airport enhances security and takes the stress out of the checkpoint screening procedures that many of us consider second nature. The TRANSLATE Act requires TSA to make its signs, announcements, webpages, and the like available in languages that are spoken by the travelers and communities that major airports serve each day. I’m glad to see this measure pass out of committee which will help improve the travel experience for diverse communities like Las Vegas as well as international visitors and their families.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 66 million individuals living in the United States over the age of five speak a language other than English at home. An estimated 34.8% of Clark County residents speak a language other than English at home.