S.L. 2003-56

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2003

SESSION LAW 2003-56

HOUSE BILL 461

AN ACT to delay the effective date of the interpreter and transliterator licensure act.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1. G.S. 90D-5(b) reads as rewritten:

"(b) Composition and Terms. - The Board shall consist of nine members who shall serve staggered terms. The initial Board members shall be selected on or before ~~January 1, 2003,~~ July 1, 2003, as follows:

(1) A member of the North Carolina Association of the Deaf (NCAD) who is deaf and familiar with the interpreting process. This member shall be appointed by the Governor and serve for a term of two years.

(2) An interpreter who is a member of the North Carolina Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc., (NCRID) with five years experience in a community setting and who is licensed to practice as an interpreter or transliterator under this Chapter. This member shall be appointed by the Governor and serve for a term of three years.

(3) An employee of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. This member shall be appointed by the Governor, upon recommendation of the Secretary of the Department, and serve a term of three years.

(4) An interpreter or transliterator for deaf-blind individuals who is licensed to practice as an interpreter or transliterator under this Chapter or a deaf-blind individual who is a member of the North Carolina Deaf-Blind Association and who has knowledge of the interpreting process. This member shall be appointed by the General Assembly, upon recommendation of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and serve for a term of three years.

(5) A cued speech or oral transliterator licensed to practice as an interpreter or transliterator under this Chapter. This member shall be appointed by the General Assembly, upon recommendation of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and serve for a term of two years.

(6) A member of Self Help for Hard of Hearing (SHHH) with knowledge of the interpreting process and deafness. This member shall be appointed by the General Assembly, upon recommendation of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and serve for a term of three years.

(7) An interpreter who is a member of the North Carolina Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc., (NCRID) with five years experience in an educational setting in grades K-12 and who is licensed to practice as an interpreter or transliterator under this Chapter. This member shall be appointed by the General Assembly, upon recommendation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and serve for a term of two years.

(8) A faculty member of an Interpreter Training Program (ITP), an Interpreter Preparation Program (IPP), or a qualified or professional certified instructor of the American Sign Language Teachers Association (ASLTA). This member shall be appointed by the General Assembly, upon recommendation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and serve for a term of two years.

(9) A public member. This member shall be appointed by the General Assembly, upon recommendation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and serve a term of two years. For purposes of this section, a public member shall not be licensed under this Chapter or have an immediate family member who is deaf or hard-of-hearing.

Upon the expiration of the terms of the initial Board members, each member shall be appointed for a term of three years and shall serve until a successor is appointed and qualified. No member may serve more than two consecutive full terms."

SECTION 2. Section 7 of S.L. 2002-182 reads as rewritten:

"SECTION 7. A person practicing interpreter or transliterator services on the effective date of this act who submits the following evidence to the Board and pays the required fee ~~within 18 months of the effective date of this act,~~ on or before December 31, 2004, shall be licensed without having to satisfy the requirements of subdivision (a)(3) of G.S. 90D-7 as enacted in Section 1 of this act:

(1) Evidence that the person meets the qualifications in subdivisions (a)(1) and (a)(2) of G.S. 90D-7.

(2) Evidence that the person has been actively engaged as an interpreter or transliterator in this State for at least 200 hours for each of the two years immediately preceding the effective date of this act. The evidence must be verified in writing by sources approved by the Board.

(3) Two letters of recommendation from sources approved by the Board.

(4) A fee of seventy-five dollars ($75.00) for the registration. This fee shall be in lieu of the fee for a license authorized in G.S. 90D-10 of the act.

A person who obtains a license by meeting the requirements of this section must comply with the continuing education requirements set by the Board. Any practicing person who does not register with the Board ~~within 18 months of the effective date of this act~~ on or before December 31, 2004, shall be required to complete all requirements prescribed by the Board and to otherwise comply with the provisions of Chapter 90D, enacted by Section 1 of this act."

SECTION 3. Section 10 of S.L. 2002-182 reads as rewritten:

"SECTION 10. G.S. 90D-5 and G.S. 90D-6, as enacted in Section 1 of this act, and Sections 7, 8, 9, and 10 of this act are effective when the act becomes law. The remainder of the act becomes effective ~~July 1, 2003.~~January 1, 2004."

SECTION 4. Notwithstanding G.S. 150B-21.1(a)(1), the North Carolina Interpreter and Transliterator Licensing Board may adopt temporary rules to implement S.L. 2002-182 until January 1, 2004.

SECTION 5. Sections 1 through 3 of this act become effective October 31, 2002. The remainder of this act is effective when it becomes law.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 19^th day of May, 2003.

s/ Marc Basnight

President Pro Tempore of the Senate

s/ Richard T. Morgan

Speaker of the House of Representatives

s/ Michael F. Easley

Governor

Approved 5:38 p.m. this 20^th day of May, 2003