Bill Summary for Bill Number HB09-1090

Date: 01/29/2009

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB09-1090

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY

Votes: View-->	Action Taken:
Adopt prepared amendment L.001 (Attachment G), whi Refer House Bill 09-1090, as amended, to the Commi	Pass Without Objection PASS

02:25 PM -- House Bill 09-1090

Representative Rice, prime sponsor, presented House Bill 09-1090 concerning the use of titles associated with interpretation for deaf persons and making unauthorized use of such titles a deceptive trade practice under the Colorado Consumer Protection Act. The bill makes it a deceptive trade practice to claim to be an interpreter for the deaf unless a person holds a current certification of competence from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. Certificates must be prominently displayed at a person's business, if any, and made available to consumers or state officials upon request. Violations of a deceptive trade practice is punishable by a civil penalty, damages to a consumer, or both.

Representative Rice discussed the problem he is trying to address with this bill and responded to questions from the committee regarding enforcement of the bill. The committee talked about the qualifications of instructors who teach deaf interpretation certification courses. When something is a violation of the Colorado Consumer Protection Act, the Office of the Attorney General may get involved in the prosecution of cases of such violations. The committee discussed the differentiation between situations in which an individual casually offers to assist a deaf or hard of hearing person by interpreting versus one where an individual represents themselves as a certified interpreter for a more formal proceeding.

02:45 PM -- Ray Kilthau, private citizen, spoke in support of the bill. Mr. Kilthau conveyed his expectation that interpreters with whom he interacts be properly trained and certified. He discussed various scams that take advantage of the deaf community. The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) is the only organization in the state that certifies interpreters. The RID training course requires that interpreters pass both a written and oral exam. He responded to questions from the committee.

02:50 PM -- Ami Garry, DOVE, Advocacy Services for Abused Deaf Women and Children, spoke in support of the bill. Ms. Garry provided written testimony to the committee (Attachment C). She related details of her experience as a victim advocate coordinator advocating for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. She responded to questions from the committee regarding the costs for certified deaf interpreters in different situations.

02:57 PM -- Amie Seiberlich, RID, spoke in support of the bill. Ms. Seiberlich provided the committee with written testimony (Attachment D). She read from her prepared remarks. She responded to questions from the committee about the process of becoming a certified interpreter. The committee discussed whether the bill is specific enough to address only deceptive trade practices rather than more casual interactions between people.

03:13 PM -- Kirk Neuroth, RID, spoke in support of the bill. Mr. Neuroth provided the committee with written testimony (Attachment E). He read from his prepared remarks. He discussed the ethical practice of deaf interpretation. Mr. Neuroth relayed a story of his experience as a deaf interpreter in Denver. A sign language student represented herself as a professional sign language interpreter and misinterpreted a conversation between a doctor and an HIV-positive patient.

03:20 PM -- Carrie Ann Lucas, Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, spoke in support of the bill. Ms. Lucas provided the committee with written testimony (Attachment F). She related three anecdotes concerning the provision of unqualified interpreters in legal situations.

03:25 PM -- Chris Lines, Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), spoke in support of the bill. Mr. Lines stated that this is a situation in which government processes are colliding. He asked the committee to table the bill for two weeks until a sunrise report is released in mid-February. The department is in the process of deciding whether to regulate deaf interpreters. The committee discussed prior DORA sunrise reports on this subject that recommended no regulation.

03:34 PM -- Brittany Potter, student interpreter, spoke in support of the bill. Ms. Potter responded to questions from the committee about how interpreters best match their skills with the type of sign language required by a given audience.

03:37 PM -- Lynda Remmel, Front Range Community College (FRCC), spoke in support of the bill. Ms. Remmel is a faculty member with the FRCC interpretation program. She discussed educational opportunities for individuals who wish to learn sign language throughout the state. She talked about how businesses and individuals go about engaging the services of a deaf interpreter and the recruitment of interpreters.

03:43 PM

Representative Rice wrapped up his presentation of the bill and asked for a favorable recommendation.


BILL:	HB09-1090
TIME:	03:44:12 PM
MOVED:	Roberts
MOTION:	Adopt prepared amendment L.001 (Attachment G), which adds additional titles that might be used by deaf interpreters to the bill. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	McCann
		VOTE
	Apuan
	Court
	Gardner B.
	King
	Miklosi
	Pace
	Roberts
	Ryden
	Waller
	McCann
	Levy

Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:	HB09-1090
TIME:	03:45:21 PM
MOVED:	Miklosi
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 09-1090, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation. The motion passed on a vote of 11-0.
SECONDED:	McCann
		VOTE
	Apuan	Yes
	Court	Yes
	Gardner B.	Yes
	King	Yes
	Miklosi	Yes
	Pace	Yes
	Roberts	Yes
	Ryden	Yes
	Waller	Yes
	McCann	Yes
	Levy	Yes

Final YES: 11 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS