| As all of you are aware,
there was much activity in the 2004 Missouri legislature that could
have had very significant effects regarding the licensure and
certification requirements for interpreters practicing in Missouri.
All in all, there were four separate bills introduced in this year's
legislature that concerned in part requirements for all or some
interpreters in Missouri. Those bills were HB 1040, HB 1195, SB
968, and SB 1122. Without going into detail here regarding the
content of each of those bills, I want to simplify and explain the
final outcome of all the "last minute" activity regarding those
bills.
HB 1040 did not pass.
HB 1195 passed on the final day of the
legislative session, but it had all of the language concerning
interpreters deleted from the final version of the bill.
SB 1122 passed on the next to last
day of the legislative session, but it also had all of the language
concerning interpreters deleted from the final version of the bill.
SB 968 passed on the final day of the
legislative session, and contained several sections that will affect
interpreters in Missouri. In particular, SB 968 does the following:
(1) Exempts from the licensure
requirements students in Interpreter Training Programs (ITP's) so
long as they are engaged in interpreting activities that constitute
a part of a supervised course of study and clearly designate
themselves as a "student, practicum student, student interpreter,
trainee, or intern."
(2) Exempts from the licensure
requirements persons holding a current certification from another
state or recognized national certification system when they are
temporarily present in Missouri for the purpose of providing
interpreting services for a convention, conference, meeting, etc.
(3) Creates a "provisional
certificate in education" that the Board for Certification of
Interpreters shall grant to applicants to interpret only in
preschool, elementary and secondary school settings. This statutory
change basically codifies into law the Emergency Amendment to 5 CSR
100-200.045 that the Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing recently filed with the Secretary of State's office.
MCDHH is pleased with the final
results of this year's legislative maneuverings (although we would
have preferred to deal with the "provisional certificate in
education" entirely by rulemaking). And we are extremely grateful
to all of the people who responded to our requests and contacted
their legislators regarding the various bills that were under
consideration. You may rest assured that the "voices" of the Deaf
and interpreter communities were heard loud and clear in the halls
of the Capitol this year. With the help of a great many advocates,
we were able to accomplish the following:
(a) Stopped the statutory change that
would have granted a complete exemption of all licensure and
certification requirements to all educational interpreters in
Missouri.
(b) Stopped the statutory change that
would have granted a complete exemption of all licensure and
certification requirements to all interpreters practicing in
Missouri hospitals.
(c) Obtained an exemption from
licensure requirements for ITP students engaged in interpreting as a
required activity in their course of study -- something for which
MCDHH has been working for the past three years.
(d) Obtained an exemption from
licensure requirements for certified out-of-state interpreters to
enable them to come into Missouri and interpret for a few days at
conferences and conventions -- something for which MCDHH has also
been working for the past three years.
(e) Retained the basic requirement
that all interpreters in Missouri had to be or become certified in
order to provide services to deaf Missourians.
(f) Retained the basic requirement
that all interpreters in Missouri had to be or become licensed in
order to provide services to deaf Missourians.
(g) Retained the basic requirement
that the skills of all interpreters in Missouri had to be assessed
by an independent agency using experienced evaluators who had no
vested interest in the outcome of the assessment.
(h) Retained the basic requirement
that all interpreters in Missouri had to adhere to the Ethical Rules
of Conduct for Interpreters.
(i) Retained the basic requirement
that all interpreters in Missouri had to get annual CEU's in order
to maintain and/or improve their skills.
Again, I want to sincerely thank
each and every person who took the time to contact their legislator
during the final weeks of the legislative session. Without your
"voices" the legislative outcomes could have been a total disaster.
But with your support, we were able to conclude the session with
some major victories for deaf and hard of hearing consumers of
interpreting services. |
