Panel approves interpreter registration standards, adds supervisory check-ins for temporary permits

The Committee of the Whole of the 2025 Legislature LA approved a package of interpreter registration and temporary-practice permit rules during a session that resumed at about 1:00 p.m. and adjourned at 1:42 p.m.

The committee voted to approve a series of slides that together revise registration categories, clarify certification acceptability and add a supervision requirement to temporary practice permits. Commissioners approved separate motions on individual slides rather than taking an all-or-nothing vote on the entire draft.

Committee members said the changes matter because they set who may legally register as an interpreter for different settings (for example, education and court settings), how long provisional registrations last and what certifications the licensing division will accept. Commissioner Marissa Ramos moved most of the slide approvals; several motions were seconded by Proxy Lynn Gomez or by other commissioners.

The largest recorded roll-call vote in the meeting was on a motion to accept part of slide 7, which specified accepted certification pathways (including Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf credentials for K–12 education and BEI certification at specified levels). That motion passed on a roll call with five yeses, three noes and two abstentions. Dr. Natalie Delgado and Meredith Jordan recorded abstentions; Commissioners Marissa Ramos, Cammy Gaspar, Commissioner Melissa Baham and Commissioner Brad Wellens were recorded as voting yes. Dr. Megan Wimberley and Commissioner David Martin were recorded as voting no. Several commissioners were absent for that roll call and other portions of the meeting.

On substantive points raised during discussion, commissioners and staff sought clearer separation of knowledge and performance requirements on the slides (a formatting and clarity concern), asked staff to confirm how LCD recognizes education K–12 credentials, and requested clearer, staged language for temporary permits so community members could follow how a candidate might move from full supervision to more independent status. Commissioner Leslie Knowles asked staff to investigate how LCD designates individuals who have EDK (education K–12) credentials from certification bodies so the slide language matches LCD practice. Janice (staff) said the draft separates education, knowledge and performance in the rule even if a slide condensed them for the presentation.

A substantive change adopted for temporary practice permits replaced the label “unsupervised” for one track with a requirement that those permit-holders have “regular interval check ins” with a supervisor; the committee agreed the frequency and procedural details would be determined later and that LCD legal staff could help refine the semantics. Chairperson Dr. Natalie Delgado recommended LCD produce a flow chart to help the community understand staged supervision and permit progression.

Other procedural actions: the committee agreed to move out of the Committee of the Whole and to extend the meeting by 30 minutes, extending the session to about 1:40 p.m. Multiple individual slides were approved in separate motions; several passed with no recorded opposition on the audio record.

Votes at a glance - Motion to accept part of slide 7 (certification/knowledge-performance language, including RID for K–12 and BEI advanced-level requirement): Passed on roll call, 5 yes / 3 no / 2 abstain (yes: Marissa Ramos, Cammy Gaspar, Melissa Baham, Brad Wellens, Denise Crochet (proxy); no: Megan Wimberley, David Martin, one other; abstain: Dr. Natalie Delgado, Meredith Jordan). (Mover: Marissa Ramos; seconder: Cammy Gaspar.) - Approve slide 6 (timeline / registration length item): Passed (Mover: Marissa Ramos; seconder: Proxy Gomez). (No opposition recorded on the audio.) - Approve slide 8 (proof of good standing / certification retention requirement): Passed (Mover: Marissa Ramos; seconder: Proxy Gomez). (No opposition recorded on the audio.) - Approve slides 10, 11 and 12 together with the previously adopted edit removing "high school diploma or equivalent" in favor of the testing-entity requirement: Passed (Mover: Marissa Ramos; second: Commissioner Brad Wellens on the grouped motion). (No roll call recorded on audio.) - Approve slide 14 (provisional renewal language): Passed (Mover: Marissa Ramos; seconder: Commissioner Wellens). (No opposition recorded on the audio.) - Revise slide 17 (temporary practice / experience pathway) to add regular interval supervisory check-ins and treat the track as supervised rather than wholly unsupervised: Passed (Mover: Marissa Ramos; seconder: Cammy Gaspar). (Committee directed staff to refine timing/semantics later.) - Approve slides 16 and 18 (other permit/registration pieces noted during discussion): Passed. (No opposition recorded on the audio.) - Motion to extend the meeting to 1:40 p.m.: Passed (Mover: Marissa Ramos; seconder: Lynn Gomez). (No opposition recorded on the audio.)

What remained unresolved and next steps Staff and members repeatedly flagged the need to (1) clarify slide wording so performance and knowledge requirements appear as separate categories, (2) confirm LCD’s formal language for recognizing K–12 education credentials from certifying bodies, and (3) draft detailed procedures that set the frequency and method of the newly required supervisory check-ins for temporary permits. Staff (Janice) said the draft rule text already separates education, knowledge and performance even if a slide combined them for presentation; commissioners asked LCD to provide clearer, staged definitions and recommended a flow chart for public understanding.

Meeting context and attendance The session convened as a Committee of the Whole and included multiple commissioners and proxies; at least three commissioners were recorded absent for part or all of the roll call on slide 7. The meeting resumed after technical difficulties at about 1:00 p.m. and adjourned at 1:42 p.m.