DRS helped initiate House Bill (HB) 19-1069
House Bill 19-1069: Concerning the certification of sign language interpreters for the purpose of title protection
The Independence Center of Colorado Springs and Disabled Resource Services of Ft. Collins initiated a legislative bill, known as House Bill (HB) 19-1069, to address a severe shortage of certified American Sign Language/English interpreters over the past three years in the state of Colorado.
The bill was taken into consideration by the State Legislature in the 2019 session and signed into law by Governor Polis on April 16.
HB 19-1069 entails authority for the Colorado Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind (CCDHHDB) to approve certifications of sign language interpreters for the purpose of title protection, section 6-2-707(1)(e), C.R.S.
This law protects both deaf and hearing consumers utilizing sign language interpreting services by mandating that practitioners who claim to be sign language interpreters (or other title variations as indicated in the law) have achieved minimum qualification standards. Currently, only the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) certifications are recognized by the law.
To learn more about the title protection law prior to this legislation, go to https://ccdhh.com/index.php/resources/ and click Other Resources, then Title 6, Article 1: Colorado Consumer Protection Act.
Although the Governor has signed HB 19-1069 into law, this law will become effective on August 2, 2019. CCDHHDB will have to conduct rule making with Colorado Department of Human Services’ State Board after a “psychometric” assessment of available certifications for validity and credibility is performed during fiscal year 2019-2020 (June 30, 2019 to July 31, 2020).
To obtain a copy of HB 19-1069, go to https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb19-1069.
A big thank you goes to The Independence Center of Colorado Springs and Disabled Resource Services of Ft. Collins for their vision!
Keep your eyes peeled for CCDHHDB’s announcements regarding this critical project.