Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman CAROL A. MURPHY
District 7 (Burlington)
Assemblyman RONALD S. DANCER
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
Assemblywoman LISA SWAIN
District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywomen Vainieri Huttle and Dunn
SYNOPSIS
Requires sign language interpreters for sessions and committee meetings of Legislature.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning sign language interpreters for sessions and committees of the Legislature and supplementing chapter 11 of Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Commencing on the first day of the seventh month following the effective date of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill), a sign language interpreter shall provide simultaneous interpretation of the proceedings of each session of the Senate and each session of the General Assembly.
Commencing on the first day of the 25th month following the effective date of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill), a sign language interpreter shall provide simultaneous interpretation of the proceedings of each committee meeting and hearing of a standing reference committee of the Senate and of the General Assembly.
This section shall apply when the session, meeting, or hearing is conducted in person or remotely by video.
The Department of Human Services shall provide, in coordination with the Office of Legislative Services, the sign language interpreters for the sessions and committee meetings and hearings of the Legislature.
As used in this section, “sign language” means a visual-gestural language that incorporates facial grammatical markers, physical affect markers, spatial linguistic information, and fingerspelling, as well as signs made with the hands.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
The purpose of this bill is to provide access to legislative proceedings for individuals with hearing loss.
This bill requires that a sign language interpreter provide simultaneous interpretation of the proceedings of each legislative session and each committee meeting and hearing of the Senate and the General Assembly of the State Legislature.