A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to modify the licensing requirements for transliterators and interpreters.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.(a)  G.S. 90D‑7 reads as rewritten:
"§ 90D‑7.  Requirements for licensure.
(a)	Upon application to the Board and the payment of the required fees, an applicant may be licensed as an interpreter or transliterator if the applicant meets all of the following qualifications:
(1)	Is 18 years of age or older.
(2)	Is of good moral character as determined by the Board.
(3)	Meets one of the following criteria:
	
b.	Is nationally certified by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc., (RID), or another nationally recognized body that issues certificates or assessments for interpreting approved by the Board by rule.
c.	Holds a valid Testing, Evaluation and Certification Unit, Inc., (TECUnit) national certification in cued language transliteration.
	
e.	Holds a current Cued Language Transliterator State Level Assessment (CLTSLA) level 3 or above classification.
…."
SECTION 1.(b)  G.S. 90D‑8 reads as rewritten:
"§ 90D‑8.  Provisional license.
(a)	Upon application to the Board and the payment of the required fees, an applicant may be issued a one‑time provisional license as an interpreter or transliterator if the applicant meets all of the following qualifications:
(1)	Is at least 18 years of age.
(2)	Is of good moral character as determined by the Board.
(3)	Completes two continuing education units approved by the Board. These units must be completed for each renewable year.
(4)	Holds at least a two‑year associate degree in interpreting from an accredited institution and satisfies one of the following:
a.	Holds a quality assurance North Carolina Interpreter Classification System (NCICS) level C classification.
b.	Holds a valid National Association of the Deaf (NAD) level 2 or 3 certification.
c.	Holds a current Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) level 3.5 or above classification.
d.	Repealed by Session Laws 2005‑299, s. 2, effective August 22, 2005.
	
f.	Holds any other certificate or assessment issued by a nationally recognized body approved by the Board by rule.
(a1)	Upon application to the Board, payment of the required fees, and meeting the requirements for a provisional license under subdivisions (1) and (2) of subsection (a) of this section, the Board may also issue a provisional license to any of the following categories of persons seeking a provisional license:
(1)	A deaf interpreter who completes 16 hours of training in interpreting coursework or workshops, including role and function or ethics, and 20 hours in the 12 months immediately preceding the date of application in the provision of interpreting services.
(2)	An oral interpreter who completes a total of 40 hours of training in interpreting coursework or workshops related to oral interpreting.
(3)	A cued language transliterator who holds a current TECUnit Cued Language Transliterator State Level Assessment (CLTSLA) level 2 or above classification.
(4)	A person providing interpreting or transliterating services who has a recognized credential from another state in the field of interpreting or transliterating.
(5)	An interpreter or transliterator who has accumulated 200 hours per year in the provision of interpreting or transliterating services, in this State or another state, totaling 400 hours for the two years immediately preceding the date of application. An applicant must provide documentation of hours when applying for a provisional license under this category, subject to verification by the Board.
…."
SECTION 2.  The North Carolina Interpreter and Transliterator Licensing Board shall adopt temporary rules to implement the provisions of this act. Any temporary rules adopted in accordance with this section shall remain in effect until permanent rules that replace the temporary rules become effective.
SECTION 3.  Section 1 of this act becomes effective October 1, 2023, and applies to licenses and provisional licenses issued or renewed by the North Carolina Interpreter and Transliterator Licensing Board after that date. The remainder of this act is effective when it becomes law.