Effective 28 Aug 2002

209.319. State committee of interpreters to be established in division of professional registration, appointment, qualifications, terms, compensation — vacancies — quorum — meetings. — 1. There is hereby established in the division of professional registration the "Missouri State Committee of Interpreters", which shall consist of seven members, including two public members. At least one of the public members shall be deaf. The committee members shall be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate. Each member of the committee shall be a citizen of the United States and a resident of this state and, except as provided in subsections 2 and 3 of this section, shall be licensed as an interpreter by this state.

2. The initial interpreter appointments made to the committee shall be made from interpreters who have voluntarily registered with the Missouri commission for the deaf and hard of hearing. In making the initial appointments to the committee, the governor shall stagger the terms of the appointees so that two members serve initial terms of two years, two members serve initial terms of three years, two members serve initial terms of four years and one member serves an initial term of one year.

3. At the time of appointment the public members shall be United States citizens, Missouri residents for a period of one year, registered voters, persons who are not and never were members of any profession licensed or regulated pursuant to sections 209.285 to 209.339, persons who do not have and never have had a material financial interest in providing interpreting services or persons who do not have and never have had a financial interest in an activity or organization directly related to interpreting.

4. Members shall be appointed to serve four-year terms. No person shall be eligible for reappointment who has served as a member of the committee for eight or more years. The membership of the committee shall reflect the differences in levels of certification, work experience and education. Not more than two interpreter educators shall be members of the committee at the same time.

5. A vacancy in the office of a member shall be filled by appointment by the governor for the remainder of the unexpired term. The governor may remove a committee member for misconduct, inefficiency, incompetence or neglect of his or her official duties after giving the committee member written notice of the charges against the committee member and an opportunity to be heard.

6. Each member of the committee shall receive as compensation an amount set by the committee not to exceed fifty dollars for each day devoted to the affairs of the committee and shall be reimbursed for necessary and actual expenses incurred in the performance of his or her official duties.

7. The committee shall hold an annual meeting at which it shall elect from its membership a chairperson and a secretary. The committee may hold such additional meetings as may be required in the performance of its duties. A quorum of the committee shall consist of four of its members.

8. The staff for the committee shall be provided by the director of the division of professional registration.

9. The committee may sue and be sued in its official name and shall have a seal which shall be affixed to all certified copies of records and papers on file and to such other instruments as the committee may direct. All courts shall take judicial notice of such seal. Copies of records and proceedings of the committee and of all papers on file with the division on behalf of the committee certified under the seal shall be received as evidence in all courts of record.

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(L. 1994 S.B. 568 § 9, A.L. 1999 H.B. 343, A.L. 2002 H.B. 1783)