(a) A court interpreter pro tempore employed by a trial court may accept appointments to provide services to other trial courts.

(b) The Judicial Council shall adopt procedures to facilitate the efficient cross-assignment of court interpreters.

(c) Based on an assessment of interpreter use and current practices, trial courts may create new employee positions for court interpreters to perform spoken language interpretation for the trial courts in classifications other than court interpreter pro tempore. Some of these positions may include, as part of the duties of the position, the requirement that the interpreter accept cross-assignments, as defined in Section 71801, under procedures adopted by the Judicial Council, and some positions may make the acceptance of cross-assignments optional. Court interpreters pro tempore, and other interpreters who have not accepted employment in a position requiring the interpreter to accept cross-assignments, may not be disciplined for declining a cross-assignment.

(d) The impact of cross-assignments shall be included within the scope of representation as those matters affect wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment of court interpreters. The regional court interpreter employment relations committee shall be required to meet and confer in good faith with respect to that impact.

(e) A court interpreter on cross-assignment shall be treated for purposes of compensation, employee benefits, seniority, and discipline and grievance procedures, as having performed the services in the trial court in which the interpreter is employed.

(f) Court interpreters on cross-assignment shall be reimbursed for mileage and other travel expenses at the same rates as other judicial branch employees.

(Added by Stats. 2002, Ch. 1047, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2003.)