INTERPRETERS' STANDARDS FUND S.B. 484: COMMITTEE SUMMARY
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Senate Bill 484 (as introduced 4-28-09)
Sponsor: Senator Mark C. Jansen
Committee: Appropriations


Date Completed: 8-3-09

CONTENT
The bill would amend the Deaf Persons' Interpreters Act to create the "Interpreters' Standards Fund" under the administration of the Department of Energy, Labor, and Economic Growth (DELEG). The Fund would be used to support the Division on Deaf and Hard of Hearing, which administers the interpreters certification program. The Fund would be the depository for the interpreter certification and examination fees paid by interpreters for the deaf or hard of hearing pursuant to the Act. It would be eligible to receive revenue or assets from any source, and investment of the Fund would be the responsibility of the State Treasurer. Unspent revenue in the Fund would carry forward and would not lapse to the General Fund at the end of the fiscal year.


Proposed MCL 393.508f

FISCAL IMPACT
This bill would create a new restricted fund that would allow DELEG to carry forward any unspent revenue from licensing and examination fees paid by interpreters for the deaf or hard of hearing. Under current law, fee revenue in excess of the cost of administering the program would lapse to the General Fund.


Licensing and examination fees paid by interpreters for the deaf or hard of hearing support the Division on Deaf and Hard of Hearing within the Commission on Disability Concerns, paying a portion of the costs of administering the certification program. The interpreter fees, established by Public Act 23 of 2007, are shown in Table 1 below:


Table 1

Schedule of Interpreter Fees
Type of Fee Amount
Application fee $30
Examination fee (resident) $125
Examination fee (nonresident) $175
Renewal fee $30
For FY 2007-08, the fees generated approximately $6,000 in revenue. The line item for the Commission on Disability Concerns includes expenditure authority of $90,000 in FY 2008-09 for this fee revenue. The current revenue, however, is considerably below the appropriated amount and is insufficient to cover the cost of the interpreters program. Costs in excess of fee revenue are paid from the line item for the Commission on Disability Concerns. In FY 2008-09, the year-to-date appropriation for the Commission is $1,126,700, including $381,900 General Fund/General Purpose revenue.

Fiscal Analyst: Elizabeth Pratt Maria Tyszkiewicz

Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. 484/0910