1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to education; requiring development of a 
  1.3             model instruction program in translating and 
  1.4             interpreting services; appropriating money; proposing 
  1.5             coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 136E.
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [136E.40] [MODEL INSTRUCTION PROGRAM.] 
  1.8      (a) The higher education board shall convene and staff an 
  1.9   advisory committee to develop a model instructional program in 
  1.10  spoken language interpreting and translator services.  The 
  1.11  advisory committee shall include representation from the 
  1.12  technical colleges, community colleges, and state universities.  
  1.13  The committee also shall include representation from 
  1.14  non-English-speaking communities; the criminal, civil, and 
  1.15  juvenile justice systems; the interpreting and translating 
  1.16  community; battered women's programs; and government and 
  1.17  nonprofit agencies providing human, social, and health 
  1.18  services.  In making appointments, the board shall seek to 
  1.19  attain gender balance and representation from communities of 
  1.20  color. 
  1.21     (b) The committee shall determine the need for and 
  1.22  recommend programs to meet training needs at the certificate 
  1.23  level, associate degree level, or both.  Courses shall be 
  1.24  designed to articulate with advanced education and training 
  1.25  programs in the field.  The curriculum shall, at a minimum, 
  2.1   include instruction in: 
  2.2      (1) specialized spoken language proficiency to meet 
  2.3   potential client needs; 
  2.4      (2) evaluation of spoken language proficiency; 
  2.5      (3) ethical standards involved in interpreting and 
  2.6   translating; 
  2.7      (4) background in the culture of the language or relevant 
  2.8   to the translation; 
  2.9      (5) internship needs and other practical opportunities to 
  2.10  serve clients; and 
  2.11     (6) fundamental skills in effective interpreting and 
  2.12  translating. 
  2.13     (c) The committee shall: 
  2.14     (1) determine geographic areas in Minnesota with the 
  2.15  greatest need for spoken language and translator services; 
  2.16     (2) determine the most efficient and effective ways of 
  2.17  delivering the program to areas of need; 
  2.18     (3) recommend what provider or providers can best implement 
  2.19  and deliver the program, with emphasis on encouraging 
  2.20  collaborative efforts; 
  2.21     (4) determine the cost of implementing and providing the 
  2.22  program, including the possibility of competitive grants; and 
  2.23     (5) consult with persons developing the statewide judicial 
  2.24  interpreter certification and training program under Laws 1994, 
  2.25  chapter 636, article 1, section 14. 
  2.26     (d) The board shall transmit the committee's 
  2.27  recommendations, together with its plan to develop appropriate 
  2.28  programs, to the legislature by January 20, 1996. 
  2.29     Sec. 2.  [136E.41] [CERTIFICATION.] 
  2.30     Subdivision 1.  [STANDARDS.] The higher education board 
  2.31  shall develop, adopt, or contract with other entities, a system 
  2.32  for certifying professional interpreters and translators 
  2.33  throughout Minnesota by September 1997.  The board shall adopt 
  2.34  policies setting standards and practical requirements that 
  2.35  persons must meet to qualify for and maintain certification.  
  2.36  They include: 
  3.1      (1) demonstration of proficiency in English and in one or 
  3.2   more spoken languages; 
  3.3      (2) completion of training and demonstration of proficiency 
  3.4   in either interpreting or translating; 
  3.5      (3) satisfactory performance on a translation test that 
  3.6   tests proficiency of written skills in English and a second 
  3.7   language; 
  3.8      (4) satisfactory performance on an interpreting test that 
  3.9   tests proficiency of oral skills in English and a second 
  3.10  language; 
  3.11     (5) completion of continuing education on an annual basis; 
  3.12     (6) demonstration of professional understanding of ethics 
  3.13  as determined through an oral interview; 
  3.14     (7) a process for receiving and hearing complaints; 
  3.15     (8) processes for issuance of initial certification, 
  3.16  renewal of certification, and for revoking certification; and 
  3.17     (9) allowance for specialty certification, such as legal 
  3.18  and medical, upon completion of initial certification. 
  3.19     Subd. 2.  [FEES FOR CERTIFICATE.] Effective September 1, 
  3.20  1998, the board shall certify, or contract for the certifying 
  3.21  of, professional interpreters and translators in Minnesota.  The 
  3.22  commissioner shall charge fees for initial certification and for 
  3.23  renewal of certification.  The fees must be set in an amount 
  3.24  anticipated to equal the amount appropriated to the board for 
  3.25  administration of the certification. 
  3.26     Sec. 3.  [DATA REVIEW.] 
  3.27     The board shall collect and review recent data, including 
  3.28  that authored by the supreme court task force on interpreters, 
  3.29  to determine the number of non-English-speaking residents in 
  3.30  Minnesota and to determine the native language of these 
  3.31  persons.  The purpose of the review is to determine the need for 
  3.32  spoken language interpreters and translators and to identify 
  3.33  training needs in Minnesota.  
  3.34     Sec. 4.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  3.35     $....... is appropriated in fiscal year 1996 from the 
  3.36  general fund to the higher education board for the purposes of 
  4.1   sections 1 to 3.