Sign Language Consumer Protection Study

Plain English: This amendment updates the rules for a study on sign language services by requiring interviews with more groups, ensuring those meetings are fully accessible to deaf people, and adding specific details about what information the study must collect.

• The bill now requires interviewing members of the Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and deafblind communities in addition to interpreters.
• New rules require interviews with language service companies as well.
• All interview meetings must be fully accessible, including having certified sign language interpreters present for those who need them.
• People conducting the interviews must have strong knowledge of Deaf culture and how to communicate effectively.

• The amendment text does not explain exactly what questions will be asked during these new interviews.
• It is unclear if there are specific penalties or funding changes included in this version of the bill based on the provided text alone.

Plain English: This amendment clarifies that a state board can hire an outside researcher to study how sign language interpreter services are used by the deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind communities in Colorado.

• The bill now allows the Communication Services for People with Disabilities Enterprise Board to contract with third-party researchers to conduct this specific study.
• The study must be completed on or before July 1, 2027, after consulting with the Division for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deafblind.
• The research will look at how sign language interpreters are used in the state and may include ideas about protecting consumers who use these services.

• The official text provided cuts off mid-sentence on page 4, so it is unclear what specific rules or requirements apply to the third-party researcher after they start their work.
• Because of the incomplete sentence in the source material, some details about how the study findings will be reported are missing.

Plain English: This amendment would require the study to include both descriptive and numerical data instead of just descriptive information.

• The bill is changed on page 3, line 22 to add the word 'QUANTITATIVE' after 'QUALITATIVE'.
• This update means the research must collect numbers and statistics in addition to written observations.

• Because this amendment was lost during voting, it did not become part of the final bill.
• The text does not explain exactly what specific numbers or data points would be collected.

Plain English: This amendment adds a rule stating that recommendations for requiring occupational licenses must prove with strong evidence that the unregulated work poses an immediate danger to public health and safety.

• It prevents any assumption in favor of creating new occupational licensing or regulations.

• The amendment text does not specify which specific jobs or services this rule would apply to within the bill's study scope.

Plain English: This amendment adds a funding limit and condition to the study, requiring it to depend on available money and stay under $250,000.

• The bill now requires that any spending for this project must wait until there is enough budget money available.

• This amendment was voted down (lost) in the House and did not become part of the final law.
• Because the text only shows a small change to one sentence, it does not explain what specific study activities are included or how long they will last.

Plain English: This amendment requires that any new rules suggested by the study must get approval from lawmakers before they can be put into action.

• Any recommendation for a new regulation found in the sign language consumer protection study cannot start immediately.

• The amendment was lost during voting, so this change did not become part of the final bill.
• The text does not explain what specific regulations might be recommended by the study.