SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5984

2020 Regular Session

BySenate Law & Justice (originally sponsored by Senators Wellman, Rivers, Hasegawa, Padden, Cleveland, Walsh, Hunt, Brown, Zeiger, Randall, Takko, Lovelett, Nguyen, Kuderer, Das, and Wilson, C.)

READ FIRST TIME 01/31/20.

AN ACT Relating to language understanding of documents used in dissolution proceedings; adding a new section to chapter 26.09 RCW; and making an appropriation.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 26.09 RCW to read as follows:

In any matter brought pursuant to domestic relations proceedings under this chapter, when a limited English proficiency party requests interpretation services, or when a court has reason to know that the party has limited English proficiency, any orders being presented to the court for signature on behalf of that party, or by agreement of the parties, must include a certification from an interpreter that the order has been interpreted to the party in the relevant language. The interpreter appointed for this purpose must be an interpreter certified by the administrative office of the courts or a qualified interpreter registered by the administrative office of the courts in a noncertified language, or where the necessary language is not certified or registered, the interpreter must be qualified by the judicial officer pursuant to chapter 2.43 RCW. When requested, and upon reasonable advance notice, an interpreter must be provided for limited English proficiency litigants by the court at no cost to the party for this purpose.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. The sum of one hundred thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, from the general fund to the administrative office of the courts interpreter reimbursement program for the purposes of this act.