ENROLLED SENATE
BILL NO. 498	By:	Johnson (Rob) of the Senate

			and

		Trebilcock of the House

An Act relating to court reporters; amending 20 O.S. 2001, Section 106.9, as last amended by Section 3, Chapter 84, O.S.L. 2007 (20 O.S. Supp. 2010, Section 106.9), which relates to court reporter salaries; allowing certain courts to set salary rate for temporary court reporters; and providing an effective date.

SUBJECT:  Court reporter salary rate

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:

SECTION 1.     AMENDATORY     20 O.S. 2001, Section 106.9, as last amended by Section 3, Chapter 84, O.S.L. 2007 (20 O.S. Supp. 2010, Section 106.9), is amended to read as follows:

Section 106.9  A.  Until October 1, 2006, the salaries of all court reporters regularly engaged by the district court, the Workers’ Compensation Court, or the Corporation Commission shall be paid by the state, except as otherwise provided in this section.  Full-time court reporters regularly engaged by the district court, the Workers’ Compensation Court and the Corporation Commission who are certified shorthand reporters shall be paid Thirty-five Thousand Six Hundred Dollars ($35,600.00) per year, payable monthly.  Effective October 1, 2006, the salaries of all court reporters regularly engaged by the district court, the Workers’ Compensation Court, or the Corporation Commission shall be paid by the state, except as otherwise provided in this section.  Full-time court reporters regularly engaged by the district court, the Workers’ Compensation Court and the Corporation Commission who are certified shorthand reporters shall be paid Thirty-nine Thousand One Hundred Sixty Dollars ($39,160.00) per year, payable monthly.

B.  In addition to their base salaries, official court reporters who are certified or licensed shorthand reporters and those acting shorthand reporters pursuant to paragraph c of Section 106.3B of this title shall be paid annually the sum of Four Hundred Dollars ($400.00) for each year of service to the district court, the Workers’ Compensation Court and the Corporation Commission, with a maximum of twenty (20) years of service only to be used for the purpose of longevity, not to exceed Eight Thousand Dollars ($8,000.00) per year, payable monthly.  For the purpose of payment for longevity, “years of service” is defined as all years served as a certified or licensed court reporter in the district court, the Workers’ Compensation Court and, the Corporation Commission after June 30, 1978.  Such longevity payments shall begin on July 1 of each year following completion of one (1) year’s service as defined herein.

C.  In addition to their base salaries, official court reporters who are certified shorthand reporters shall be paid the following:

1.  The sum of One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($1,500.00) per year, payable monthly, to any official court reporter who is a Registered Professional Reporter (RPR), as recognized by the State Board of Examiners of Certified Shorthand Reporters.  To qualify as a RPR, an official court reporter shall have a proficiency level in reporting testimony and proceedings of a speed of not less than two hundred twenty-five (225) words per minute in taking a question-and-answer-type dictation, two hundred (200) words per minute in taking a jury charge and one hundred eighty (180) words per minute in taking literary material, shall pass a Written Knowledge Test with a score of at least seventy percent (70%), all as determined by an examination recognized by the Board, and shall complete thirty (30) hours of continuing education per three-year cycle commencing at the date of recognition;

2.  The sum of One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($1,500.00) per year, payable monthly, to any official court reporter who is a Registered Merit Reporter (RMR), as recognized by the State Board of Examiners of Certified Shorthand Reporters.  To qualify as a RMR, an official court reporter shall have a proficiency level in reporting testimony and proceedings of a speed of not less than two hundred sixty (260) words per minute in taking a question-and-answer-type dictation, two hundred forty (240) words per minute in taking a jury charge and two hundred (200) words per minute in taking literary material, shall pass a Written Knowledge Test with a score of at least seventy percent (70%), all as determined by an examination recognized by the Board, and shall complete thirty (30) hours of continuing education per three-year cycle commencing at the date of recognition;

3.  The sum of One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($1,500.00) per year, payable monthly, to any official court reporter who is a Registered Diplomat Reporter (RDR), as recognized by the State Board of Examiners of Certified Shorthand Reporters, and who completes thirty (30) hours of continuing education per three-year cycle commencing at the date of recognition;

4.  The sum of One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($1,500.00) per year, payable monthly, to any official court reporter who is a Certified Realtime Reporter (CRR), as recognized by the State Board of Examiners of Certified Shorthand Reporters, and who completes thirty (30) hours of continuing education per three-year cycle commencing at the date of recognition; or

5.  Any official court reporter who is the holder of more than one certification shall be compensated in the additional amounts specified in paragraphs 1 through 4 of this subsection for each certification up to a maximum of Six Thousand Dollars ($6,000.00) per year over and above the reporter’s base salary, payable monthly.

D.  Court reporters temporarily employed by the district court, Workers’ Compensation Court, or Corporation Commission shall be compensated by the court fund of the court which they serve at the a rate of Fifty-seven Dollars and sixty cents ($57.60) per day to be set by such court.  In addition, court reporters temporarily employed pursuant to this subsection who are required by the terms of their employment to travel outside their county of residence, shall receive reimbursement for mileage actually and necessarily traveled to and from the place of attendance at a rate not to exceed the rate of reimbursement specified in the State Travel Reimbursement Act for state employees.  Any travel reimbursement shall be paid from the court fund of the court where the service of the temporarily employed court reporter is provided.

SECTION 2.  This act shall become effective November 1, 2011.

Passed the Senate the 8th day of March, 2011.

	
Presiding Officer 	of the Senate

Passed the House of Representatives the 4th day of April, 2011.

	
Presiding Officer of the House
	of Representatives