GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2011

H                                                                                                                                                   D

HOUSE DRH30222-LU-62  (03/03)

Short Title:        Amend Interpreter Laws/Cued Speech.		(Public)
Sponsors:	Representative M. Alexander.
Referred to:

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT to make clarifying changes regarding cued speech under the laws regulating the practice of interpreters and transliterators.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 90D-5(b)(6) 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 July 1, 2003, as follows:

…

(6)        A member of Self Help for Hard of Hearing (SHHH)Hearing Loss Association of North Carolina (HLA-NC) 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.

…."

SECTION 2.  G.S. 90D-7(a)(3) reads as rewritten:

"(a)       Upon application to the Board and the payment of the required fees, an applicant may be licensed as an interpreter or transliterator if the applicant meets all of the following qualifications:

…

(3)        Meets one of the following criteria:

a.         Holds a valid National Association of the Deaf (NAD), level 4 or 5 certification.

b.         Is nationally certified by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc., (RID).

c.         Has a national certification recognized by the National Cued Speech Association (NCSA).Holds a valid Testing, Evaluation and Certification Unit, Inc. (TECUnit) national certification in cued language interpretation.

d.         Holds a quality assurance North Carolina Interpreter Classification System (NCICS) level A or B classification in effect on January 1, 2000.

e. Holds a current Cued Language Transliterator State Level Assessment (CLTSLA) certification level 3 or above."

SECTION 3.  G.S. 90D-8(a1) reads as rewritten:

"(a1)     Upon application to the Board, payment of the required fees, and meeting the requirements for a provisional license under subdivisions (1) and (2) of subsection (a) of this section, the Board may also issue a provisional license to any of the following categories of persons seeking a provisional license:

(1)        A certified deaf interpreter (CDI) who completes 30 hours of training, including "Role and Function", "Code of Ethics", and interpreting professional studies coursework.A deaf interpreter who completes 16 hours of training in interpreting coursework or workshops, including either role and function or ethics, and 20 hours in the 12 months immediately preceding the date of application in the provision of interpreting services.

(2)        An oral interpreter who completes a total of 40 hours of training in interpreting coursework or workshops related to oral interpreting.

(3)        A person providing cued speech interpreting or transliterating services who completes a total of 40 hours of training in interpreting coursework or workshops related to cued speech. A cued language transliterator who holds a current Cued Language Transliterator State Level Assessment (CLTSLA) level 2 classification.

(4)        A person providing interpreting or transliterating services who has a recognized credential from another state in the field of interpreting or transliterating.

(5)        An interpreter or transliterator who has accumulated 200 hours per year in the provision of interpreting or transliterating services, in this State or another state, totaling 400 hours for the two years immediately preceding the date of application."

SECTION 4.  This act is effective when it becomes law.