2016 -- H 8170 | |
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LC005885 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2016 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE - OFFICIAL COURT INTERPRETERS | |
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Introduced By: Representative Christopher R. Blazejewski | |
Date Introduced: May 05, 2016 | |
Referred To: House Judiciary | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Section 8-5-8.2 of the General Laws in Chapter 8-5 entitled "Court |
2 | Secretaries, Court Reporters, and Electronic Court Reporters" is hereby amended to read as |
3 | follows: |
4 | 8-5-8.2. Privileged communications. -- In the trial of every cause, both civil and |
5 | criminal, no interpreter/transliterator for the deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind or an official |
6 | interpreter employed or contracted by the state office of court interpreters acting in their official |
7 | capacity shall be competent to testify concerning any statement made to him or her in connection |
8 | with the interpreter's or transliterator's interpretation or transliteration for the deaf, hard of |
9 | hearing, and deaf-blind or in connection with interpretation or transliteration performed by an |
10 | official interpreter employed or contracted by the state office of court interpreters acting in their |
11 | official capacity, without the consent of the person making the statement. No duly licensed |
12 | interpreter/transliterator for the deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind or an official interpreter |
13 | employed or contracted by the state office of court interpreters acting in their official capacity |
14 | shall be allowed, in giving testimony to disclose any confidential communication, properly |
15 | entrusted to him or her in his or her professional capacity, and necessary and proper to enable him |
16 | or her to discharge the functions of his or her office in the usual course of practice or discipline, |
17 | without the consent of the person making the communication. |
18 | SECTION 2. Section 9-17-25 of the General Laws in Chapter 9-17 entitled "Witnesses" |
19 | is hereby amended to read as follows: |
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1 | 9-17-25. Privileged communication -- Interpreter. -- Whenever a sign language |
2 | interpreter or an official interpreter employed or contracted by the state office of court interpreters |
3 | acting in their official capacity is used to facilitate a communication which is privileged pursuant |
4 | to either statutory law or common law between parties, one or more of whom is hearing impaired, |
5 | the sign language interpreter or an official interpreter employed or contracted by the state office |
6 | of court interpreters acting in their official capacity shall not be compelled to testify in any forum |
7 | regarding that communication. |
8 | SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE - OFFICIAL COURT INTERPRETERS | |
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1 | This act would extend the privileged nature of communications to interpreters of those |
2 | communications as long as the interpreters are officially working for the state office of court |
3 | interpreters. |
4 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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LC005885 | |
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