https://youtu.be/1eMpMEL76C0

LINK: The Final Draft Bill

We have received the final draft of the interpreter licensure bill from DLS.  In order to provide language equity, we will be releasing the English and ASL versions on Wednesday, January 6th.  Thank you for your patience and continued support!

Additional Question after PCRID information session on 12/5/2020

What specific, if any changes, were made to the draft sent out earlier this year for feedback?

There are no substantial changes between the bill circulated in Jan 2020 and the current draft submitted to DLS. The feedback we received from the community dealt with semantic and language suggestions which will be addressed in DLS's rewrite. 

Does the current draft bill address agency liability?

No, because the focus is on individual certified interpreters. Additionally, the National Association of the Deaf will develop guidelines on interpreting agency accreditation in the coming year. This may lead to future legislation on interpreting agencies.

What certification are considered?

All nationally recognized certifications 

How is the cultural competence addressed?

The board will be comprised of individuals with either expertise in sign language interpreting or an experienced consumer of interpreting services - this is where the linguistic competence starts with. Additionally, the board will reflect racial and geographic diversity of the state as this is a standard language in any board composition. Furthermore, the licensure board can determine minimum requirements for all interpreters in terms of cultural and linguistic competence training or something that would achieve this very important concept.

Did the community have input in this bill?

We have compiled feedback from several public town halls, surveys, emails received by the MDIL committee as well as publicizing the bill via the MDIL website, MDAD and PCRID Facebook pages since MDAD’s initial mandate of 2013. This mandate was reaffirmed in 2019 at the MDAD Conference and continues to drive the licensure bill process.

Is there a centralized place where we can provide input?

You may provide input via email to the official email address: mdinterpreterlicensure@gmail.com.

Is the draft anywhere we can read/review? Is it up for legislation this next open session?

Please watch the vlog dated on November 15, 2020 at the bottom of this page.

Who are the stakeholders and committees?

Please check out the google site page at Stakeholders/Committees.

Is the current bill the same bill from last January?

The current bill has incorporated recommendations from the 2019 bill, which was withdrawn in the spring of 2019. A revised bill and simplified bill was introduced in Jan of 2020 and later withdrawn because the window to draft a final bill and put it before the legislature had run out. As a result, the current bill is identical to the draft that was circulated and commented on in late 2019 and early 2020.

Does anyone have any insight as to why interpreter licensure has not been successful in the MD legislature?

MDAD and PCRID have offered 2 bills to the MD Legislature in the past 7 years. Based on our experience with the first bill, we used the lesson learned to pare down the previously intricate bill to a more simplified version that sets a basic licensure requirement and ensures Deaf Marylanders have an avenue for complaints and redress to satisfy the MDAD 2013 Mandate #2.  The 2013 Mandate #2 was reaffirmed at the MDAD 2019 conference. 

Will the bill include addressing the pipeline for developing sign language interpreters? How will that affect BIPOC sign language interpreters?

This bill will not address development or pipeline for the interpreters on any level however MDAD and PCRID remain very cognizant of the challenges that our BIPOC interpreters and young professionals in becoming interpreters. MDAD and PCRID including NAOBI-DC are very committed to meeting with local organizations, programs such as CCBC and FCC, and community leaders to figure out how to establish a strong infrastructure to provide financial support, training, and mentoring opportunities to build BIPOC interpreting capacity in the State of Maryland.

Does this bill include CDI?

The bill includes all national certifications.

Why does the bill use the Department of Labor (DOL), formerly known as Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR) as the licensing mechanism?

DOL has a licensing mechanism in place to issue licenses for a variety of professions including Architects, Certified Public Accountants, Engineers, Pilots, Real Estate Agents, etc. Sign Language Interpreting licensing would follow criteria established by the licensing board and be processed by DOL upon receipt of appropriate paperwork. Interpreting licensure will be added to the long list of licenses already issued by DOL and follow the same mechanism for application.

Will there be another town hall meeting as we get closer to the legislative session?

Currently, there are plans to host multiple information sharing sessions in the upcoming weeks including one at the PCRID annual conference.

[TRANSCRIPT]

A caucasian woman wearing a dark pink polo shirt, narrating in ASL. In the background, a hutch dresser and a couple of framed pictures on the wall.

---------------

Hello everyone,

The interpreter license committee updated the MD Sign Language Interpreter Website.  This is one stop information resource.  By the end of November will receive a Legislative Review (LR) from the Department of Legal Service who writes up the Bill. 

When we receive it, we will post on the website.  Please share with others far and wide.  Any questions, please contact us at mdinterpreterlicensure@gmail.com.  Stay safe and healthy.  

Thank you.

[TRANSCRIPT]

(White woman with curly dirty blonde hair on left side wearing black cat-eye glasses and blue cowl neck sweater with a twist-tie in the front)

"Greetings from the joint team on sign language interpreter licensure bill.

Today is March 7, 2020 and we have a progress update towards sign language licensure in Maryland.  

We submitted the bill to the Maryland legislature for this session and it did not make it out of the Rules committee.  We have been in contact with over 25 legislators about the bill and many of them are interested in supporting our bill.   We have started to work with some of them and feel confident we will be ready with the support needed to submit the bill again during the next session.  

This effort is essential because sign language interpreter licensure is basic communication protection for Maryland citizens who are Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and Hard of Hearing. Maryland citizens have mandated a licensure bill and the joint team is committed to continuing this progress.  We will not stop until the state of Maryland has sign language interpreter licensure.  This is our commitment to you.  We will be meeting with stakeholders and legislators going forward to prepare for the upcoming session.  

We will continue to post updates on the joint website so for the latest information on the progress of sign language interpreter licensure, you can check there. Thank you."

POST: March 3, 2020

Video description: Stephanie Summers is giving an update in American Sign Language about the interpreter licensure bill for Maryland. The transcript below is a translation from her ASL vlog into English.

The video opens with Stephanie a brunette woman with eyeglasses, wearing a tan sweater.  She is sitting in a room, with white doors and white walls in the background.  

She signs in ASL:

"Hello, I have two things that I want to share with you all--

First, we have conducted conversations with different stakeholders and if you want more information, please go to the webpage of this site.

https://sites.google.com/view/mdinterpretinglicensure/stakeholders

Second, yesterday afternoon we've found out that the bill has been assigned a number-- HB1652 however the text of the bill or further details haven't been uploaded online but when we get updates, we will share it with all of you. 

If you have more questions, please send us an email mdinterpreterlicensure@gmail.com"

[End of Video Description]

POST: January 22, 2020

[TRANSCRIPT]

Stephanie Summers is giving an update about Maryland sign language interpreting licensure bill.   

Video description:  The video opens with Stephanie, a brunette woman with eyeglasses and wears a brown blazer with a red shirt underneath.  She is sitting in a room, with white doors and off-white/tan walls in the background.  

She signs in ASL:  

“Hello, I am giving an update.   We have talked with several stakeholders to collect their input on a draft of the bill. A framework of the bill had been explained to all. Now, what we currently have in the draft will be submitted to legislators.  We are still working on identifying a sponsor for this bill-- a sponsor being either a state delegate or state senator. Please take time to read the draft bill on the website, however you have to understand that the bill is not the final draft— it will receive a few more edits when a sponsor signs on this bill.” 

The video ends.

LINK: Maryland State Sign Language Interpreter Act - 2020 Version 1a.DRAFTstamp.pdf

POST: October 28, 2019