Today our final hopes for passing the Educational Interpreter Bill (as an amendment) vanquished.  It was a disappointing conclusion to months of hard work.  Here is a statement from Terri Schisler, chair of FRID's Interpreter Regulation Committee:

The Educational interpreter bill has hit a few roadblocks.  The bill stalled in committee last month; however, we were able to find another path to keep the bill active.  We had agreements to allow us to attach our bill to a teacher certification bill by amendment in the Senate.  When the bill came up, the amendment was ruled out of order.  We have exhausted all options this year with the session ending on Friday, March 11.  We will be reviewing our options for resubmitting the bill next year. 

The FRID Board would like to thank Terri Schisler and the entire Interpreter Regulation Committee for their hard work this year. Also, we want to acknowledge Gary Lieffers for his expertise in helping the bill get as far as it did.  Thank you to the Boards of FAD and FRID for working together on this and other legislation.  Lastly, and certainly not least, thank you to all the members who lent your support for this important work.