Section 7: Committee for the administration of interpreters for trial court; coordinator of court interpreter services; appointment; duties

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Section 7.

(a)There shall be a committee for the administration of interpreters for the trial court, which committee shall consist of the chief justice of the trial court, who shall be the chairman of said committee, the chief justice of the district court department and 1 justice and one clerk-magistrate of said department appointed by said chief justice, a justice and a clerk or an assistant clerk of the superior court department appointed by the chief justice of said department, a judge of the probate and family court department appointed by the chief justice of said department and 1 other justice, judge or clerk-magistrate appointed by the chief justice of the trial court.

(b)Following the standards and procedures established by the chief justice of the trial court, the committee shall advertise, screen applications, interview, select and appoint the coordinator of court interpreter services, who shall serve at the pleasure of said committee.

(c)There shall be within the office of the chief justice of the trial court a coordinator of court interpreter services for the trial court and such other professional and clerical personnel as may be necessary in the judgment of said coordinator and the committee.

(d)The coordinator or the committee shall propose standards and procedures for the training, professional conduct, certification, qualification and adequate compensation of certified and qualified interpreters. Notice of hearing on any such proposed standards or procedures shall be published in the Massachusetts Register as if they were administrative regulations to be adopted pursuant to section two of chapter thirty A; and the proposed standards or procedures shall be reproduced and distributed to organizations representing the interests of foreign language users, with notice of the public hearing date, which shall occur no sooner than sixty days thereafter. After due consideration of public comment at the public hearing or otherwise, the committee shall adopt final standards and procedures and cause the same to be published in the Massachusetts Register.

(e)The coordinator of court interpreter services shall administer the interpreter program in the trial court to insure that the purposes of this chapter are carried out. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing the coordinator shall specifically:

(1)establish and conduct a training program for interpreters in which they shall be trained and examined on language proficiency, proper conduct in court, professional ethics and other matters deemed appropriate and after successfully completing the course shall be duly certified;

(2)compile and maintain lists of persons who have been certified and qualified and periodically communicate this information to the several departments and divisions of the trial court;

(3)after due notice and hearing, remove anyone from such a list for inadequate performance or other good cause as provided in section five;

(4)facilitate the prompt payment of interpreters for services rendered; and

(5)gather statistics, conduct studies and make reports of the results thereof and of the administration of the program generally.