20-156 Commission; interpreters; licensure; requirements; fees; roster; disciplinary actions; review; injunctions authorized.
20-156. Commission; interpreters; licensure;requirements; fees; roster; disciplinary actions; review; injunctions authorized.(1) The Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing shall license andevaluate licensed interpreters. The commission shall create the InterpreterReview Board pursuant to section 71-4728.05 to set policies, standards, andprocedures for evaluation and licensing of interpreters. The commission mayrecognize evaluation and certification programs as a means to carry out theduty of evaluating interpreters' skills. The commission may define and establishdifferent levels or types of licensure to reflect different levels of proficiencyand different specialty areas.(2) The commission shall establish and charge reasonable fees for licensureof interpreters, including applications, initialcompetency assessments, renewals, modifications, record keeping,approval, conduct, and sponsorship of continuing education, and assessmentof continuing competency pursuant to sections 20-150 to 20-159. All fees collectedpursuant to this section by the commission shall be remitted to the StateTreasurer for credit to the Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Fund.Such fees shall be disbursed for payment of expenses related to this section.(3) The commission shall prepare and maintain a roster of licensed interpretersas provided by section 71-4728. Nothing in sections 20-150 to 20-159 shallbe construed to prevent any appointing authority from contracting with a licensedinterpreter on a full-time employment basis.(4) The commission may deny, refuse to renew, limit, revoke, suspend,or take other disciplinary actions against a license when the applicant orlicensee is found to have violated any provision of sections 20-150 to 20-159or 71-4728 to 71-4732, or any rule or regulation of the commission adoptedand promulgated pursuant to such sections, including rules and regulationsgoverning unprofessional conduct. The Interpreter Review Board shall investigatecomplaints regarding the use of interpreters by any appointing authority,or the providing of interpreting services by any interpreter, alleged to bein violation of sections 20-150 to 20-159 or rules and regulations of thecommission. The commission shall notify in writing an appointing authoritydetermined to be employing interpreters in violation of sections 20-150 to 20-159 or rules and regulations of the commission and shall monitor such appointingauthority to prevent future violations.(5) Any decision of the commission pursuant to this section shall besubject to review according to the Administrative Procedure Act.(6) After June 30, 2007, any person providing interpreting servicespursuant to sections 20-150 to 20-159 without a license issued pursuant tothis section may be restrained by temporary and permanent injunctions. SourceLaws 1987, LB 376, § 7; Laws 1997, LB 752, § 78; Laws 1997, LB 851, § 8; Laws 2002, LB 22, § 6; Laws 2006, LB 87, § 3; Laws 2010, LB706, § 1.Effective Date: July 15, 2010 Cross ReferencesAdministrative Procedure Act, see section 84-920.