Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 102 Part 5.djvu/648

 102 STAT. 4654

PUBLIC LAW 100-702—NOV. 19, 1988

SEC. 607. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

Section 215 of the State Justice Institute Act of 1984 (42 U.S.C. 10713) is amended to read as follows: "SEC. 215. There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out the purposes of this title $15,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1989 and 1990. Amounts appropriated under this section may remain available until expended.". Court Interpreter Amendments Act of 1988. 28 USC 1 note.

TITLE VII—COURT INTERPRETERS AMENDMENTS SEC. 701. SHORT TITLE.

This title may be cited as the "Court Interpreter Amendments Act of 1988". SEC. 702. AUTHORITY OF THE DIRECTOR.

Section 1827(a) is amended to read as follows: "(a) The Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts shall establish a program to facilitate the use of certified and otherwise qualified interpreters in judicial proceedings instituted by the United States.". SEC. 703. CERTIFICATION OF INTERPRETERS; OTHER QUALIFIED INTERPRETERS.

Regulations,

Section 1827(b) is amended to read as follows: "(b)(1) The Director shall prescribe, determine, and certify the qualifications of persons who may serve as certified interpreters, when the Director considers certification of interpreters to be merited, for the hearing impaired (whether or not also speech impaired) and persons who speak only or primarily a language other than the English language, in judicial proceedings instituted by the United States. The Director may certify interpreters for any language if the Director determines that there is a need for certified interpreters in that language. Upon the request of the Judicial Conference of the United States for certified interpreters in a language, the Director shall certify interpreters in that langus^e. Upon such a request from the judicial council of a circuit and the approval of the Judicial Conference, the Director shall certify interpreters for that circuit in the language requested. The judicial council of a circuit shall identify and evaluate the needs of the districts within a circuit. The Director shall certify interpreters based on the results of criterionreferenced performance examinations. The Director shall issue regulations to carry out this paragraph within 1 year after the date of the enactment of the Judicial Improvements and Access to Justice Act. "(2) Only in a case in which no certified interpreter is reasonably available as provided in subsection (d) of this section, including a case in which certification of interpreters is not provided under paragraph (1) in a particular language, may the services of otherwise qualified interpreters be used. The Director shall provide guidelines to the courts for the selection of otherwise qualified interpreters, in order to ensure that the highest standards of accuracy are maintained in all judicial proceedings subject to the provisions of this chapter.

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