Bill Text: IA SF2199 | 2013-2014 | 85th General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to interpreters and translators for limited English proficient participants in legal proceedings and in court-ordered programs. (Formerly SSB 3026.)

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2014-03-05 - Passed subcommittee. [SF2199 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2013-SF2199-Introduced.html
Senate File 2199 - Introduced SENATE FILE 2199 BY COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY (SUCCESSOR TO SSB 3026) A BILL FOR An Act relating to interpreters and translators for limited 1 English proficient participants in legal proceedings and in 2 court-ordered programs. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 5348SV (1) 85 rh/rj
S.F. 2199 Section 1. Section 232.141, subsections 1 and 2, Code 2014, 1 are amended to read as follows: 2 1. Except as otherwise provided by law, the court shall 3 inquire into the ability of the child or the child’s parent 4 to pay expenses incurred pursuant to subsections 2, 4, and 8 . 5 After giving the parent a reasonable opportunity to be heard, 6 the court may order the parent to pay all or part of the costs 7 of the child’s care, examination, treatment, legal expenses, 8 or other expenses , excluding the costs and fees of interpreter 9 and translator services . An order entered under this section 10 does not obligate a parent paying child support under a custody 11 decree, except that part of the monthly support payment may be 12 used to satisfy the obligations imposed by the order entered 13 pursuant to this section . If a parent fails to pay as ordered, 14 without good reason, the court may proceed against the parent 15 for contempt and may inform the county attorney who shall 16 proceed against the parent to collect the unpaid amount. Any 17 payment ordered by the court shall be a judgment against each 18 of the child’s parents and a lien as provided in section 19 624.23 . If all or part of the amount that the parents are 20 ordered to pay is subsequently paid by the county or state, 21 the judgment and lien shall thereafter be against each of the 22 parents in favor of the county to the extent of the county’s 23 payments and in favor of the state to the extent of the state’s 24 payments. 25 2. All of the following juvenile court expenses are a charge 26 upon the county in which the proceedings are held, to the 27 extent provided in subsection 3 : 28 a. Juvenile court expenses incurred by an attorney appointed 29 by the court to serve as counsel to any party or to serve as a 30 guardian ad litem for any child, including fees and expenses 31 for foreign language interpreters, costs of depositions and 32 transcripts, fees and mileage of witnesses, and the expenses of 33 officers serving notices and subpoenas. 34 b. Reasonable compensation for an attorney appointed by the 35 -1- LSB 5348SV (1) 85 rh/rj 1/ 9
S.F. 2199 court to serve as counsel to any party or as guardian ad litem 1 for any child in juvenile court. 2 c. Fees and expenses incurred by the juvenile court for 3 foreign language interpreters for court proceedings. 4 Sec. 2. Section 602.1302, subsection 3, Code 2014, is 5 amended to read as follows: 6 3. A revolving fund is created in the state treasury for 7 the payment of jury and witness fees, mileage, costs related to 8 summoning jurors by the judicial branch, costs and fees related 9 to the management and payment of interpreters and translators 10 in judicial branch legal proceedings and court-ordered 11 programs, and attorney fees paid by the state public defender 12 for counsel appointed pursuant to section 600A.6A . The 13 judicial branch shall deposit any reimbursements to the state 14 for the payment of jury and witness fees and mileage in the 15 revolving fund. In each calendar quarter the judicial branch 16 shall reimburse the state public defender for attorney fees 17 paid pursuant to section 600A.6B . Notwithstanding section 18 8.33 , unencumbered and unobligated receipts in the revolving 19 fund at the end of a fiscal year do not revert to the general 20 fund of the state. The judicial branch shall on or before 21 February 1 file a financial accounting of the moneys in the 22 revolving fund with the legislative services agency. The 23 accounting shall include an estimate of disbursements from the 24 revolving fund for the remainder of the fiscal year and for the 25 next fiscal year. 26 Sec. 3. Section 622A.1, Code 2014, is amended by striking 27 the section and inserting in lieu thereof the following: 28 622A.1 Definitions. 29 As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise 30 requires: 31 1. “Administrative agency” means any department, board, 32 commission, or agency of the state or any political subdivision 33 of the state. 34 2. “Court-ordered program” means any activity in which a 35 -2- LSB 5348SV (1) 85 rh/rj 2/ 9
S.F. 2199 court orders a party to participate and which is not supervised 1 by the department of corrections or the department of human 2 services. 3 3. “Interpreter” means a person who can accurately transfer 4 the meaning of words, phrases, or signs in one language into 5 the equivalent words, phrases, or signs in another language 6 and includes an oral language interpreter and a sign language 7 interpreter. 8 4. “Legal proceeding” means any action before any 9 court, whether civil, criminal, or juvenile in nature, 10 or any proceeding before any administrative agency which 11 is quasi-judicial in nature and which has direct legal 12 implications to any person. “Legal proceeding” includes any 13 legal action preparatory to appearing before any court or 14 administrative agency. 15 5. “Limited English proficient” means the inability to 16 adequately understand or effectively communicate in the English 17 language because a person’s primary language is a language 18 other than English. 19 6. “Oral language interpreter” means an interpreter who is 20 able to interpret from one oral language into a second oral 21 language and from the second oral language into the first oral 22 language. 23 7. “Participant” means a party, witness, attorney, or child, 24 including a child who is or may be the subject of a delinquency 25 petition; a parent, guardian, or custodian, whose child is or 26 may be the subject of a delinquency petition; or a person who 27 is a guardian, conservator, or trustee in a probate case. 28 8. “Sign language interpreter” means an interpreter who is 29 able to interpret from sign language into an oral language and 30 from that oral language into sign language. 31 9. “Translator” means a person who can accurately transfer 32 the meaning of written words and phrases in one language into 33 the equivalent written words and phrases in another language. 34 Sec. 4. Section 622A.2, Code 2014, is amended to read as 35 -3- LSB 5348SV (1) 85 rh/rj 3/ 9
S.F. 2199 follows: 1 622A.2 Who entitled to interpreter or translator . 2 1. Every limited English proficient person who cannot speak 3 or understand the English language and who is a party to any 4 is a participant in a legal proceeding or a witness therein, 5 court-ordered program shall be entitled to an interpreter to 6 assist such person throughout the proceeding or program . 7 2. A person described in subsection 1 shall be entitled 8 to a translator if the court determines that an oral or sign 9 language interpretation of a written document is not sufficient 10 to meet the person’s due process rights. 11 Sec. 5. Section 622A.3, Code 2014, is amended to read as 12 follows: 13 622A.3 Costs —— when taxed . 14 1. An interpreter shall be or translator appointed without 15 expense to the person requiring assistance in the following 16 cases: for a limited English proficient participant who is 17 entitled to an interpreter or translator pursuant to section 18 622A.2 shall be paid in accordance with this section and the 19 fees for interpreter or translator services shall not be 20 charged to the limited English proficient participant or the 21 parties in the case. 22 a. If the person requiring assistance is a witness in the 23 civil legal proceeding. 24 b. If the person requiring assistance is indigent and 25 financially unable to secure an interpreter. 26 2. In civil cases, every court shall tax the cost of 27 an interpreter the same as other court costs. In criminal 28 cases, where the defendant is indigent, the interpreter 29 shall be considered as a defendant’s witness under rule 30 of criminal procedure 2.15 for the purpose of receiving 31 fees, except that subpoenas shall not be required. If the 32 proceeding is before an administrative agency, that agency 33 shall provide such interpreter but may require that a party 34 to the proceeding pay the expense thereof An oral language 35 -4- LSB 5348SV (1) 85 rh/rj 4/ 9
S.F. 2199 interpreter or a translator required for a limited English 1 proficient participant in a judicial branch legal proceeding 2 or a court-ordered program shall be paid by the state court 3 administrator from the revolving fund created in section 4 602.1302, subsection 3 . 5 3. Moneys recovered as court costs for interpreters paid 6 through the revolving fund established in section 602.1302, 7 subsection 3 , shall be deposited in that fund An oral 8 language interpreter or a translator required for a limited 9 English proficient participant in a legal proceeding before 10 an administrative agency shall be paid by the appropriate 11 administrative agency . 12 4. A sign language interpreter or a real-time court reporter 13 who assists a deaf or hard-of-hearing participant in a legal 14 proceeding before a court or an administrative agency or in a 15 court-ordered program shall be paid by the county pursuant to 16 section 622B.7. 17 Sec. 6. Section 622A.4, Code 2014, is amended to read as 18 follows: 19 622A.4 Fee for interpreter and translator services set by 20 court or administrative agency —— payment. 21 Every An interpreter or translator appointed by a court 22 or administrative agency shall receive a fee to be set by 23 the court or administrative agency. If the interpreter is 24 appointed by the court in a civil case for a person who is 25 indigent and unable to secure an interpreter, the fee for the 26 interpreter shall be paid from the revolving fund established 27 in section 602.1302, subsection 3 . 28 Sec. 7. Section 622A.5, Code 2014, is amended to read as 29 follows: 30 622A.5 Oath. 31 Every An interpreter or translator in any legal proceeding 32 shall take the same an oath as any other witness consistent 33 with rules adopted by the court under this chapter . 34 Sec. 8. Section 622A.6, Code 2014, is amended to read as 35 -5- LSB 5348SV (1) 85 rh/rj 5/ 9
S.F. 2199 follows: 1 622A.6 Qualifications and integrity. 2 Any court or administrative agency may inquire into the 3 qualifications , neutrality, and integrity of any interpreter 4 or translator , and may disqualify any person from serving as 5 an interpreter or translator . 6 Sec. 9. Section 622A.7, Code 2014, is amended to read as 7 follows: 8 622A.7 Rules —— qualifications and compensation of 9 interpreters and translators . 10 The supreme court, after consultation with the commission 11 of Latino affairs of the department of human rights and other 12 appropriate departments, shall adopt rules governing the 13 qualifications and compensation of interpreters and translators 14 appearing in proceedings before a court or grand jury under 15 this chapter . However, an administrative agency which is 16 subject to chapter 17A may adopt rules differing from those of 17 the supreme court governing the qualifications and compensation 18 of interpreters and translators appearing in proceedings before 19 that agency. 20 Sec. 10. Section 622A.8, Code 2014, is amended to read as 21 follows: 22 622A.8 Tape Electronic recording of testimony . 23 A tape An electronic recording of the portion of proceedings 24 where non-English testimony is given shall be made and 25 maintained for one year after entry of the final disposition or 26 sentence, or if the final judgment is appealed, until one year 27 after the final disposition of the appeal . 28 Sec. 11. Section 622B.1, subsection 1, paragraphs c through 29 f, Code 2014, are amended to read as follows: 30 c. “Hard-of-hearing person” means an individual who 31 is unable to hear and distinguish sounds within normal 32 conversational range and who needs to use speechreading, 33 assistive listening devices, or oral interpreters other 34 reasonable accommodations to facilitate communication. 35 -6- LSB 5348SV (1) 85 rh/rj 6/ 9
S.F. 2199 d. “Interpreter” means an oral interpreter or sign language 1 interpreter a person who can accurately transfer the meaning of 2 words, phrases, or signs in one language into the equivalent 3 words, phrases, or signs in another language, and includes an 4 oral language interpreter and a sign language interpreter . 5 e. “Oral language interpreter” means an interpreter who is 6 fluent in transliterating, paraphrasing, and voicing able to 7 interpret from one oral language into a second oral language 8 and from the second oral language into the first oral language . 9 f. “Sign language interpreter” means an interpreter who is 10 able to interpret from sign language to English and English to 11 sign language into an oral language and from that oral language 12 into sign language . 13 Sec. 12. Section 815.9, subsection 3, Code 2014, is amended 14 to read as follows: 15 3. If a person is granted an appointed attorney, the 16 person shall be required to reimburse the state for the total 17 cost of legal assistance provided to the person pursuant to 18 this section . “Legal assistance” as used in this section 19 shall include not only the expense of the public defender or 20 an appointed attorney, but also transcripts, witness fees, 21 expenses, and any other goods or services required by law to 22 be provided to an indigent person entitled to an appointed 23 attorney , excluding the costs and fees of interpreter and 24 translator services . 25 EXPLANATION 26 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 27 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 28 This bill relates to interpreters and translators for 29 limited English proficient participants in legal proceedings 30 and in court-ordered programs. 31 The bill provides that a “limited English proficient” (LEP) 32 person who is a participant in any legal proceeding involving a 33 court or an administrative agency or in a court-ordered program 34 shall be entitled to an interpreter or a translator to assist 35 -7- LSB 5348SV (1) 85 rh/rj 7/ 9
S.F. 2199 the person in the proceeding or program. LEP is defined as the 1 inability of a person to adequately understand or effectively 2 communicate in the English language because a person’s primary 3 language is a language other than English. The bill defines 4 an “interpreter” as a person who can accurately transfer the 5 meaning of words, phrases, or signs in one language into the 6 equivalent words, phrases, or signs in another language and 7 includes an oral language interpreter and a sign language 8 interpreter; a “translator” as a person who can accurately 9 transfer the meaning of written words and phrases in one 10 language into the equivalent written words and phrases in 11 another language; and a “participant” as a party, witness, 12 attorney, or child, including a child who is or may be the 13 subject of a delinquency petition; a parent, guardian, or 14 custodian whose child is or may be the subject of a delinquency 15 petition; or a person who is a guardian, conservator, or 16 trustee in a probate case. 17 The bill provides that fees for interpreter or translator 18 services shall not be charged to an LEP participant in a legal 19 proceeding or court-ordered program and specifies that an 20 LEP participant shall be entitled to a translator in certain 21 circumstances. The bill specifies that an oral language 22 interpreter or a translator required for an LEP participant 23 in a judicial branch legal proceeding or in a court-ordered 24 program is to be paid by the state court administrator from 25 the revolving fund established in Code section 602.1302, 26 subsection 3 (known as the jury and witness fund); an oral 27 language interpreter or a translator required for an LEP 28 participant in a legal proceeding before an administrative 29 agency is to be paid by the appropriate administrative agency; 30 and a sign language interpreter and a real-time court reporter 31 who assist a deaf or hard-of-hearing participant in a legal 32 proceeding before a court or an administrative agency or in a 33 court-ordered program are to be paid by the county pursuant 34 to Code section 622B.7. The bill makes conforming changes 35 -8- LSB 5348SV (1) 85 rh/rj 8/ 9
S.F. 2199 excluding the costs of interpreter and translator services 1 from being charged to a parent in a juvenile proceeding (Code 2 section 232.141) and to a person receiving indigent legal 3 assistance services (Code section 815.9). 4 The bill provides additional provisions specifying that fees 5 and qualifications for interpreter and translator services 6 are to be determined by the court or administrative agency, 7 as appropriate; an interpreter or translator in any legal 8 proceeding is required to take an oath consistent with rules 9 adopted by the court under Code chapter 622A (interpreters in 10 legal proceedings); and a court or an administrative agency may 11 inquire into the qualifications, neutrality, and integrity of 12 an interpreter or translator and may disqualify any person from 13 serving as an interpreter or translator. The bill requires 14 electronic rather than audio recordings of the portion of 15 proceedings where non-English testimony is given to be made and 16 maintained for one year after entry of the final disposition 17 or sentence or if applicable, until one year after final 18 disposition of any appeal. 19 The bill makes conforming changes to the definitions of 20 “interpreter”, “oral language interpreter”, and “sign language 21 interpreter” in Code chapter 622B (deaf and hard-of-hearing 22 interpreters) to be consistent with the definitions in the 23 bill. 24 -9- LSB 5348SV (1) 85 rh/rj 9/ 9
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