BILL ANALYSIS |
C.S.S.B. 1620 |
By: Paxton |
Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence |
Committee Report (Substituted) |
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Interested parties assert that translators who are able to immediately translate the spoken word into English text would be able to benefit parties to court proceedings where interpreters are needed. These translators are known as communication access realtime translation (CART) providers. C.S.S.B. 1620, among other provisions, seeks to allow parties to a court proceeding to request a certified CART provider for an individual who has a hearing impairment in addition to having the option to request a certified court interpreter for such an individual.
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RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
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ANALYSIS
C.S.S.B. 1620 amends the Government Code to require a court to appoint a certified communication access realtime translation (CART) provider, defined in the bill as an individual who holds a certification to provide CART services at an advanced or master level issued by the Texas Court Reporters Association or another certification association selected by the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS), for an individual who has a hearing impairment if a motion for the appointment of a provider is filed by a party or requested by a witness in a civil or criminal proceeding in the court. The bill authorizes a court, on its own motion, to appoint a certified CART provider for an individual who has a hearing impairment. The bill defines "communication access realtime translation" or "CART" as the immediate verbatim translation of the spoken word into English text by a certified CART provider. The bill repeals a statutory provision authorizing DARS to maintain a list of persons certified by the Texas Court Reporters Association as qualified to provide communication access real-time translation services for a hearing-impaired individual in a court proceeding and instead requires DARS to maintain a list of certified CART providers and authorizes DARS to send the list to a person or court on request. The bill clarifies statutory provisions relating to the appointment of an interpreter by a court to specify that the appointment of a certified court interpreter is for an individual who has a hearing impairment and the appointment of a licensed court interpreter is for an individual who can hear but does not comprehend or communicate in English.
C.S.S.B. 1620 repeals Sections 57.001(6) and 57.021(d), Government Code.
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EFFECTIVE DATE
On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2013.
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COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE
While C.S.S.B. 1620 may differ from the engrossed version in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following comparison is organized and highlighted in a manner that indicates the substantial differences between the engrossed and committee substitute versions of the bill.
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