Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB297 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	sb0297
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 297
8	8	P1 EMERGENCY BILL 5lr1910
9	9	CF HB 329
10	10	By: Senator King
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 10, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Sign Language Interpreters – Licensing Requirement 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of altering the date by which an individual must be licensed by the State 3
21	21	Board of Sign Language Interpreters before providing certain sign language 4
22	22	interpretation services or making certain representations; and generally relating to 5
23	23	sign language interpreter licensing. 6
24	24
25	25	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 7
26	26	Article – State Government 8
27	27	Section 9–2418(a) 9
28	28	Annotated Code of Maryland 10
29	29	(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 11
30	30
31	31	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 12
32	32	Chapter 269 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2023 13
33	33	Section 4(a) and 5 14
34	34
35	35	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 15
36	36	Chapter 270 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2023 16
37	37	Section 4(a) and 5 17
38	38
39	39	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 18
40	40	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 19
41	41
42	42	Article – State Government 20
43	43
44	44	9–2418. 21
45	45
46	46	(a) Except as otherwise provided in this part, BEGINNING JULY 1, 2026, an 22
47	47	individual shall be licensed by the Board before the individual may: 23 2 SENATE BILL 297
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51	(1) provide sign language interpretation services in the State; or 1
52	52
53	53	(2) represent to the public, by description of services or use of a title or 2
54	54	designation, that the individual is authorized to provide sign language interpretation 3
55	55	services in the State. 4
56	56
57	57	Chapter 269 of the Acts of 2023 5
58	58
59	59	SECTION 4. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That: 6
60	60
61	61	(a) Beginning [January 1, 2025] JULY 1, 2026, an individual who provides sign 7
62	62	language interpretation services in the State shall meet the requirements of Title 9, 8
63	63	Subtitle 24, Part III of the State Government Article, as enacted by Section 3 of this Act. 9
64	64
65	65	SECTION 5. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the member of the State 10
66	66	Board of Sign Language Interpreters who is required to have a license issued under this 11
67	67	Act and who is appointed to the Board under § 9–2411 of the State Government Article, as 12
68	68	enacted by Section 3 of this Act, before [January 1, 2025] JULY 1, 2026, may satisfy the 13
69	69	license requirement by holding a current nationally or regionally recognized certification, 14
70	70	as defined in § 9–2401 of the State Government Article, as enacted by Section 3 of this Act, 15
71	71	or by meeting other criteria established by the Board. 16
72	72
73	73	Chapter 270 of the Acts of 2023 17
74	74
75	75	SECTION 4. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That: 18
76	76
77	77	(a) Beginning [January 1, 2025] JULY 1, 2026, an individual who provides sign 19
78	78	language interpretation services in the State shall meet the requirements of Title 9, 20
79	79	Subtitle 24, Part III of the State Government Article, as enacted by Section 3 of this Act. 21
80	80
81	81	SECTION 5. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the member of the State 22
82	82	Board of Sign Language Interpreters who is required to have a license issued under this 23
83	83	Act and who is appointed to the Board under § 9–2411 of the State Government Article, as 24
84	84	enacted by Section 3 of this Act, before [January 1, 2025] JULY 1, 2026, may satisfy the 25
85	85	license requirement by holding a current nationally or regionally recognized certification, 26
86	86	as defined in § 9–2401 of the State Government Article, as enacted by Section 3 of this Act, 27
87	87	or by meeting other criteria established by the Board. 28
88	88
89	89	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this A ct is an emergency 29
90	90	measure, is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public health or safety, has 30
91	91	been passed by a yea and nay vote supported by three–fifths of all the members elected to 31
92	92	each of the two Houses of the General Assembly, and shall take effect from the date it is 32
93	93	enacted. 33