1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; making requirements for 
  1.3             American sign language/English interpreters and oral 
  1.4             or cued speech transliterators applicable to persons 
  1.5             employed on a full-time or part-time basis by a school 
  1.6             district beginning in the 2001-2002 school year; 
  1.7             amending Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 122A.31, 
  1.8             subdivisions 1 and 2.  
  1.9   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.10     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 122A.31, 
  1.11  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.12     Subdivision 1.  [REQUIREMENTS FOR AMERICAN SIGN 
  1.13  LANGUAGE/ENGLISH INTERPRETERS.] (a) In addition to any other 
  1.14  requirements that a school district establishes, any person 
  1.15  employed to provide American sign language/English interpreting 
  1.16  or sign transliterating services on a full-time or part-time 
  1.17  basis for a school district after July 1, 2000 2001, must: 
  1.18     (1) hold current interpreter and transliterator 
  1.19  certificates awarded by the Registry of Interpreters for the 
  1.20  Deaf (RID), or the general level interpreter proficiency 
  1.21  certificate awarded by the National Association of the Deaf 
  1.22  (NAD), or a comparable state certification from the commissioner 
  1.23  of children, families, and learning; and 
  1.24     (2) satisfactorily complete an interpreter/transliterator 
  1.25  training program affiliated with an accredited educational 
  1.26  institution. 
  1.27     (b) To provide American sign language/English interpreting 
  2.1   or transliterating services on a full-time or part-time basis, a 
  2.2   person employed in a school district during the 1999-2000 school 
  2.3   year must only comply with paragraph (a), clause (1).  The 
  2.4   commissioner shall grant a nonrenewable, one-year provisional 
  2.5   certificate to individuals who have not attained a current 
  2.6   applicable transliterator certificate pursuant to paragraph (a), 
  2.7   clause (1).  During the one-year provisional period, the 
  2.8   interpreter/transliterator must develop and implement an 
  2.9   education plan in collaboration with a mentor under paragraph 
  2.10  (d).  This paragraph shall expire on June 30, 2001. 
  2.11     (c) Graduates of an interpreter/transliterator program 
  2.12  affiliated with an accredited education institution shall be 
  2.13  granted a two-year provisional certificate by the commissioner.  
  2.14  During the two-year provisional period, the 
  2.15  interpreter/transliterator must develop and implement an 
  2.16  education plan in collaboration with a mentor under paragraph 
  2.17  (d) (c).  This paragraph applies to spring semester 2000 
  2.18  graduates and thereafter. 
  2.19     (d) (c) A mentor of a provisionally certified 
  2.20  interpreter/transliterator must be an interpreter/transliterator 
  2.21  who has either NAD level IV or V certification or RID certified 
  2.22  interpreter and certified transliterator certification and have 
  2.23  at least three years interpreting/transliterating experience in 
  2.24  any educational setting.  The mentor, in collaboration with the 
  2.25  provisionally certified interpreter/transliterator, shall 
  2.26  develop and implement an education plan designed to meet the 
  2.27  requirements of paragraph (a), clause (1), and include a weekly 
  2.28  on-site mentoring process. 
  2.29     (e) (d) Beginning July 1, 2001, a school district may not 
  2.30  employ an interpreter/transliterator who has not been certified 
  2.31  under paragraph (a), or (b), or (c). 
  2.32     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective July 1, 2001, 
  2.33  and applies to persons employed for the first time to provide 
  2.34  American sign language/English interpreting or sign 
  2.35  transliterating services on a full-time or part-time basis for a 
  2.36  school district beginning in the 2001-2002 school year and 
  3.1   following.  Persons employed to provide American sign 
  3.2   language/English interpreting or sign transliterating services 
  3.3   on a full-time or part-time basis for a school district in a 
  3.4   school year before the 2001-2002 school year must comply only 
  3.5   with paragraph (a), clause (1). 
  3.6      Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 122A.31, 
  3.7   subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  3.8      Subd. 2.  [ORAL OR CUED SPEECH TRANSLITERATORS.] In 
  3.9   addition to any other requirements that a school district 
  3.10  establishes, any person employed to provide oral transliterating 
  3.11  or cued speech transliterating services on a full-time or 
  3.12  part-time basis for a school district after July 1, 2000 2001, 
  3.13  must hold a current applicable transliterator certificate 
  3.14  awarded by the national certifying association or comparable 
  3.15  state certification from the commissioner of children, families, 
  3.16  and learning. 
  3.17     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective July 1, 2001, 
  3.18  and applies only to persons employed for the first time to 
  3.19  provide oral transliterating or cued speech transliterating 
  3.20  services on a full-time or part-time basis for a school district 
  3.21  after July 1, 2001.