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Committee advances bill to let certified voice court reporters administer oaths
Summary
The committee voted unanimously to advance a cleanup bill allowing registered and certified verbatim (voice) court reporters to administer oaths or affirmations; sponsors said the change updates a statute enacted during COVID and brings voice writers into the same legal authority as stenographic reporters.
The House Judiciary Committee unanimously advanced a bill to permit certified verbatim court reporters and certified verbatim stenotype reporters (voice writers) to administer oaths in court proceedings.
Sponsor Rep. Espinosa described the bill as a narrow, technical cleanup following COVID‑era practice changes that allowed some court reporters to operate remotely and create official verbatim records without being physically in the courtroom. The bill adds the certified verbatim reporter (CVR) and certified verbatim reporter‑stenotype (CVRS) designations to existing statute so voice writers have the same authority as registered professional reporters and stenographers to administer oaths.
Linda Bridal (testifying for court reporters) said voice writers now perform the same service as stenographers and that two years after the original statutory change there are enough voice writers in Colorado to warrant statutory inclusion. She asked the committee to support the bill to ensure that those professionals can administer oaths and produce official verbatim records.
The committee had no questions from members and adopted the bill without amendment. The roll call on the motion to advance recorded 10 yeas and 1 excused member.
Votes at a glance
- Motion: Move House Bill (listed in the hearing as HB 25‑13o1 / recorded as HB 13‑01) to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation. Outcome: passed on a roll call of 10–0 (1 excused).
Ending
Sponsors described the change as procedural housekeeping to reflect current practice and to include voice‑reporting professionals in the list of people authorized to administer oaths for testimony. The bill was reported to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation.
