This booklet presents basic issues and recommendations of a Nevada legislative task force on the establishment of courses in American Sign Language (ASL) for credit as a foreign language in the public schools and institutions of higher education. An introductory section, "American Sign Language and Deaf Culture Issues and Answers: A Basic Guide for Education and Public Service Agency Administrators" by James R. Womack, describes the report's purpose, characteristics of the deaf community, the nature of ASL compared to other forms of manual communication, answers to common questions about ASL as a language, reasons for conflicting information, and sources of good information. The main body of the report presents recommendations of the task force. The issues of cost and implementation at the postsecondary level are specifically addressed. The recommendations cover: certification/licensure, the course of study in public schools and in the university and community college systems, and standards for levels of proficiency. Appendices list the 12 recommendations and summarize results of a survey of 14 other states regarding recognition of ASL. (DB)