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Minutes for SB230 - Committee on Education
Short Title
Clarifying the authority of the Kansas commission for the deaf and hard of hearing.
Minutes Content for Wed, Mar 11, 2020
Chairperson Dietrich opened the meeting and asked for approval of the minutes.
Representative Clayton moved, Representative Thomas seconded, the approval of the minutes of February 24, 2020 as written. Motion passed.
Chairperson Dietrich opened the hearing on SB230. Two interpreters for the deaf and hard of hearing were present.
Senior Assistant Revisor Jason Long gave an overview of the bill and answered questions from the Representatives. (Attachment 1)
Chriz Dally, the Chair of the Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (KCDHH), spoke as a proponent of the bill. She started by expressing her pleasure that so many students from the Kansas School for the Deaf were present in the room today. She explained what the Commission does and who it serves. She described the many people, deaf, hard of hearing, non verbal, and hearing people who are involved in the process of communicating with each other. Dally encouraged the Committee to keep all persons in mind as the deliberations over this legislation continues. The present Kansas Statutes need to be updated, and interpretation policy is a key part of the quality of life for the community that depends upon interpreters. There have been obstacles in trying to resolve many issues that need to be updated. There has been some struggle with Department of Children and Families (DCF). To resolve the different interpretations between the DCF and KCDHH, Dally and her staff requested the opinion of the Attorney General. When that opinion was not forthcoming, the Commission decided to create policy legislation resulting in SB230. The Attorney General subsequently issued an opinion on the issue, available on the Attorney General office website. Dally explained that the Attorney General opinion was supportive of the KCDHH understanding and proposed policy relating to interpreters. (Attachment 2)
Robert Cooper spoke as the Executive Director of KCDHH, shared his history with the Commission, gave an overview of the interpretation history since 1982. In early years there was a registry of qualified sign language interpreters. There were developments over the years trying to insure that interpreters were well trained and certified. There has been a struggle to make sure that persons, such as vulnerable foster children, are working with well trained professionals that have background checks. This is an opportunity to expand communication enhancement in Kansas. (Attachment 3)
Kim Anderson, President of Kansas Association of the Deaf, stated that it has been 111 years that their organization has steadfastly pursued its mission to preserve, protect and promote the civil human and linguistic rights of deaf Kansans. They support this legislation because it reinforces and strengthens the current statues. It takes up the difficult issue of interpreters who take on assignments beyond their skill set without consideration of the unethical and harmful ramifications of interpretation errors. (Attachment 4)
Written Proponent Testimony:
Robin Olson, Retired Teacher of the Deaf (Attachment 5)
Dr. David Cook, Vice Chancellor, University of Kansas, Edwards Campus (Attachment 6)
Stacey Storme, National Certified ASL/English Interpreter (Attachment 7)
Kester Horn-Maile, Retired Superintendent Kansas School for the Deaf (Attachment 8)
Leonard Hall, Attorney and member of KCDHH Commission (Attachment 9)
Annette Caraway, Kansas Citizen from Topeka (Attachment 10)
Laura White, Kansas Citizen from Fairway (Attachment 11)
Sandra Stoffel, Kansas Citizen from Olathe (Attachment 12)
Georgette Sullivan, Kansas Citizen from Olathe (Attachment 13)
Robert A. Maile, Ph.D. Retired Superintendent of Kansas School for the Deaf (Attachment 14)
There was a brief discussion with the Representatives. There were questions about licensing costs, the structure of state departments like DCF and KCDHH, how to make sure the present interpreters are going to be assessed, the legal aspects of volunteer interpreters who work without pay, the regulations for the Department of Education interpreters, why 30 hours of training is the right number of hours, the necessary funding for these changes, what the authority is that the Commission holds in terms of the interpreter registry, and what was happening in the 27 year gap in reference to interpreter fees.
Chairperson Dietrich closed the hearing on SB230, shared tomorrow's agenda, and adjourned the meeting.
