1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; clarifying requirements for 
  1.3             American sign language/English interpreters and oral 
  1.4             or oral and cued speech transliterators; amending 
  1.5             Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 122A.31, subdivisions 
  1.6             1, 2. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 122A.31, 
  1.9   subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.10     Subdivision 1.  [REQUIREMENTS FOR AMERICAN SIGN 
  1.11  LANGUAGE/ENGLISH INTERPRETERS.] (a) In addition to any other 
  1.12  requirements that a school district establishes, any person 
  1.13  employed to provide American sign language/English interpreting 
  1.14  or sign transliterating services on a full-time or part-time 
  1.15  basis for a school district after July 1, 2000, must: 
  1.16     (1) hold current interpreter and transliterator 
  1.17  certificates awarded by the Registry of Interpreters for the 
  1.18  Deaf (RID), or the general level interpreter proficiency 
  1.19  certificate awarded by the National Association of the Deaf 
  1.20  (NAD), or a comparable state certification from based on an 
  1.21  existing quality assurance test adopted by the commissioner of 
  1.22  children, families, and learning; and 
  1.23     (2) satisfactorily complete an interpreter/transliterator 
  1.24  training program affiliated with an accredited educational 
  1.25  institution. 
  1.26     (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) A school district may not employ an 
  2.30  interpreter/transliterator who has not been certified under 
  2.31  paragraph (a), or (b), or (c). 
  2.32     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective 18 months after 
  2.33  the date on which the commissioner submits the report to the 
  2.34  legislature under section 3, and applies to all persons employed 
  2.35  for the first time to provide American sign language/English 
  2.36  interpreting or transliterating services on a full-time or 
  3.1   part-time basis for a school district after that date. 
  3.2      Persons employed to provide American sign language/English 
  3.3   interpreting or transliterating services on a full-time or 
  3.4   part-time basis for a school district before that date must 
  3.5   comply only with paragraph (a), clause (2) of this section. 
  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, must 
  3.13  hold a current applicable transliterator certificate awarded by 
  3.14  the national certifying association or comparable state 
  3.15  certification from based on an existing quality assurance test 
  3.16  adopted by the commissioner of children, families, and learning. 
  3.17     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective 18 months after 
  3.18  the date on which the commissioner submits the report to the 
  3.19  legislature under section 3, and applies only to persons 
  3.20  employed for the first time to provide oral transliterating or 
  3.21  cued speech transliterating services on a full-time or part-time 
  3.22  basis for a school district after that date. 
  3.23     Sec. 3.  [ADOPTING AN EXISTING QUALITY ASSURANCE SCREENING 
  3.24  TEST FOR CERTIFICATION.] 
  3.25     The commissioner of children, families, and learning must 
  3.26  adopt an existing quality assurance screening test for the 
  3.27  purpose of establishing state certification requirements for 
  3.28  interpreters and transliterators under Minnesota Statutes, 
  3.29  section 122A.31, subdivisions 1 and 2.  The commissioner must 
  3.30  submit a report on the existing quality assurance test the 
  3.31  commissioner proposes to adopt by February 15, 2002, to the 
  3.32  committees in the state legislature charged with overseeing 
  3.33  elementary and secondary education.  The report must indicate 
  3.34  the commissioner's implementation timeline, which shall be no 
  3.35  longer than one year from the date the report is submitted, and 
  3.36  the cost of implementing the test.  In selecting a test, the 
  4.1   commissioner at least must consult with representatives of 
  4.2   institutions that offer accredited interpreter or transliterator 
  4.3   programs, interpreters and transliterators currently employed by 
  4.4   school districts, and parents of children receiving interpreter 
  4.5   or transliterator services.  
  4.6      <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective the day 
  4.7   following final enactment.