State Board of Sign Language Interpreters - Membership and Licensing

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*hb1192*

HOUSE BILL 1192
P1 6lr2786
CF SB 645
By: Delegate Bagnall
Introduced and read first time: February 11, 2026
Assigned to: Government, Labor, and Elections
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 7, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

State Board of Sign Language Interpreters – Membership and Licensing 2

FOR the purpose of expanding the membership of and altering the quorum requirements 3
for the State Board of Sign Language Interpreters; authorizing the Governor to 4
remove certain members of the Board under certain circumstances; altering the date 5
by which the Board must establish certain licensing requirements and by which sign 6
language interpreters must meet certain licensing requirements; altering the 7
documents an applicant must submit to the Board; requiring the Board to grant a 8
waiver of certain requirements under certain circumstances; and generally relating 9
to the State Board of Sign Language Interpreters. 10

BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 11
Article – State Government 12
Section 9–2401(a) and (o) 13
Annotated Code of Maryland 14
(2021 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 15

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 16
Article – State Government 17
Section 9–2407, 9–2411, 9–2412, 9–2414(a), and 9–2415, 9–2419, and 9–2420 18
Annotated Code of Maryland 19
(2021 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 20

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 21
Chapter 269 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2023 22
2 HOUSE BILL 1192

Section 4 and 5 1

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 2
Chapter 270 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2023 3
Section 4 and 5 4

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 5
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 6

Article – State Government 7

9–2401. 8

(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 9

(o) “Office” means the Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. 10

9–2407. 11

On or before January 1, 2002, and annually thereafter, the Director shall submit to 12
the Governor and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of this article, to the members of the General 13
Assembly, a report on: 14

(1) the activities of the Office; 15

(2) the status of programs and services facilitated by the Office; 16

(3) the activities of the Board, including: 17

(i) the number of sign language interpreters licensed by the Board; 18
[and] 19

(II) THE NUMBER OF LICENS ED SIGN LANGUAGE 20
INTERPRETERS IN EACH COUNTY: 21

1. DETERMINED BY THE LICENSEE’S HOME ADDRESS; OR 22

2. THE LICENSEE ’S COUNTY OR REGION O F PLANNED 23
EMPLOYMENT, IF KNOWN; AND 24

[(ii)] (III) the number of complaints received by the Board, 25
differentiated by the type of complaint; 26

(4) statistics on compliance with State and federal laws related to deaf and 27
hard of hearing individuals; and 28

HOUSE BILL 1192 3

(5) recommendations for improved delivery of services for deaf and hard of 1
hearing individuals. 2

9–2411. 3

(a) (1) The Board consists of [seven] 11 members appointed by the Governor. 4

(2) Of the [seven] 11 members: 5

(i) one shall be a member of the Maryland Association of the Deaf; 6

(ii) one shall be a deafblind individual; 7

(iii) one shall be a [member of the Potomac Chapter of the Registry 8
of the Interpreters for the Deaf who holds a license under this part ] DEAF INDIVIDUAL; 9
[and] 10

(iv) [four shall be determined by the Board by regulation ] THREE 11
SHALL BE INTERPRETERS FOR THE DEAF WHO HOLD A LICENSE UNDER THIS PART; 12

(V) ONE SHALL BE AN INTERPRETER FOR THE DEAF WHO HOLDS 13
A LICENSE UNDER THIS PART AND OWNS OR IS AFFILIATED WITH AN INTERPRETER 14
AGENCY; 15

(VI) TWO SHALL BE AFFILIA TED WITH AN ENTITY T HAT 16
OPERATES AND IMPLEME NTS DEAF SERVICES IN AN EDUCATIONAL , LEGAL, OR 17
MEDICAL SETTING; 18

(VII) THE SECRETARY OF DISABILITIES, OR THE SECRETARY’S 19
DESIGNEE, AS AN EX OFFICIO NONVOTING MEMBER; AND 20

(VIII) THE SECRETARY OF LABOR, OR THE SECRETARY’S 21
DESIGNEE, AS AN EX OFFICIO NONVOTING MEMBER. 22

(3) (i) The Governor sha ll appoint the members from a list of names 23
submitted from a nomination process established by the Office. 24

(II) THE NOMINATION PROCESS SHALL INCLUDE OUTREACH TO 25
UNDERREPRESENTED DEAF, DEAFBLIND, AND INTERPRETER COMMUNITIES. 26

[(ii)] (III) To the extent practicable, the members appointed under 27
this section shall reflect the racial and geographic diversity of the State. 28

(b) Each member shall: 29

4 HOUSE BILL 1192

(1) be a resident of the State; and 1

(2) EXCEPT FOR THE EX OF FICIO NONVOTING MEMBERS AND THE 2
MEMBERS UNDER SUBSECTION (A)(2)(VI) OF THIS SECTION, be proficient in American 3
Sign Language. 4

(c) Before taking office, each member appointed to the Board shall take the oath 5
or affirmation required by Article I, § 9 of the Maryland Constitution. 6

(d) (1) The term of a Board member is 2 years, beginning on the date of 7
appointment. 8

(2) At the end of a term, a member continues to serve until a successor is 9
appointed and qualifies. 10

(3) A member appointed after a term has begun serves only for the 11
remainder of the term and until a successor is appointed and qualifies. 12

(4) A member may not serve more than three consecutive full terms. 13

(e) (1) The Governor may remove a member for incompetence, misconduct, 14
neglect of duties, TWO OR MORE SUCCESSIVE UNEXCUSED ABSENCES, or other sufficient 15
cause. 16

(2) The Governor shall remove a member who: 17

(i) ceases to meet the requirements under which the member was 18
appointed under subsection (a) of this section; or 19

(ii) fails to attend at le ast 50% of the regularly scheduled meetings 20
of the Board during any 12–month period. 21

9–2412. 22

(a) (1) The Board shall elect the chair from among its members. 23

(2) The term of the chair is 2 years. 24

(b) (1) The Board shall meet at least once each quarter at the times and places 25
set by the Board. 26

(2) The Board may call special meetings at the request of: 27

(i) the chair; 28

(ii) the Director; or 29

HOUSE BILL 1192 5

(iii) a majority of the members of the Board. 1

(c) A majority of the VOTING members [then serving on the Board] is a quorum. 2

(d) A member of the Board: 3

(1) may not receive compensation as a member of the Board; but 4

(2) is entitled to reimbursement for expenses under the Standard State 5
Travel Regulations, as provided in the State budget. 6

9–2414. 7

(a) The Board shall: 8

(1) license qualified individuals to provide sign language interpretation 9
services; 10

(2) on or before [July 1, 2024 ] DECEMBER 31, 2026 JULY 1, 2027, 11
establish and publish licensing requirements for sign language interpreting in all settings; 12

(3) provide technical assistance to license applicants and other interested 13
persons; 14

(4) promote the profession of sign language interpreting, including 15
providing workshops and trainings to raise public awareness and to facilitate professional 16
development; and 17

(5) perform any other duties assigned by the Director. 18

9–2415. 19

(a) [The] AFTER COMPLETION OF T HE REPORT REQUIRED U NDER 20
SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION , THE Board may establish criteria for the 21
development of portfolios and separate requirements in the following specialist areas: 22

(1) legal settings; 23

(2) medical settings; 24

(3) EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS; 25

(3) (4) behavioral health settings; 26

(4) (5) language pairs other than American Sign Language and spoken 27
English; 28
6 HOUSE BILL 1192

(5) (6) conference interpreting; 1

(6) (7) tactile and low–vision sign language interpretation services; 2

(7) (8) intralinguistic translations and sign language interpretation; 3
and 4

(8) (9) any other specialist areas determined to be necessary by the 5
Board. 6

(b) (1) AT LEAST 60 DAYS BEFORE THE BOARD PROMULGATES 7
REGULATIONS TO ESTABLISH CRITERIA UNDER SUBSECTION (A) OF THIS SECTION, 8
THE BOARD SHALL REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR AND , IN ACCORDANCE WITH § 9
2–1257 OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE, THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON 10
EDUCATION, ENERGY, AND THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE HOUSE GOVERNMENT, 11
LABOR, AND ELECTIONS COMMITTEE, ON: 12

(I) HOW NATIONAL AND REG IONAL CERTIFICATION 13
STANDARDS DEFINE OR LIMIT SPECIALIST AREAS; 14

(II) THE NUMBER OF INTERP RETERS IN THE STATE AND 15
NEIGHBORING STATES CERTIFIED IN SPECIALIST AREAS; 16

(III) AN EVALUATION OF HOW SEPARATE REQUIREMENTS FOR 17
SPECIALIST AREAS MAY IMPACT ACCESS TO INT ERPRETER SERVICES IN EACH 18
SETTING; AND 19

(IV) RECOMMENDATIONS ON W HETHER, AND IN WH AT FORM , 20
SPECIALTY LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS SHOULD BE IMPLEMENTED IN THE STATE. 21

(2) IN COMPLETING THE REP ORT UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS 22
SUBSECTION, THE BOARD SHALL CONSULT WITH STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING: 23

(I) THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH; 24

(II) THE MARYLAND ASSOCIATION OF THE DEAF; 25

(III) THE MARYLAND HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION; 26

(IV) INTERPRETERS AND INTERPRETER AGENCIES; 27

(V) THE MARYLAND JUDICIARY; 28

HOUSE BILL 1192 7

(VI) THE MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION; 1

(VII) THE MARYLAND STATE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION; 2

(VIII) THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS’ ASSOCIATION 3
OF MARYLAND; AND 4

(IX) THE MARYLAND ASSOCIATION OF BOARDS OF EDUCATION; 5
AND 6

(IX) (X) THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF DISABILITIES. 7

(3) THE OFFICE SHALL PROVIDE STAFF TO ASSIST THE BOARD IN 8
COMPLETION OF THE REPORT REQUIRED UNDER THIS SUBSECTION. 9

(C) The Board shall adopt regulations to: 10

(1) govern sign language interpretation services provided in a video remote 11
interpreting setting; 12

(2) establish licensing and certification standards of interpreting agencies 13
that do business in the State; 14

(3) (I) allow deaf and hard of hearing individuals to determine 15
INDICATE whether they prefer sign language interpretation services being provided in a 16
video remote interpreting setting or through in–person interpreting; and 17

(II) REQUIRE PUBLIC ENTIT IES TO PROVIDE REASO NABLE 18
ACCOMMODATIONS TO SUPPORT THE PREFERENCES INDICATED BY THE DEAF AND 19
HARD OF HEARING INDI VIDUALS UNDER ITEM (I) OF THIS ITEM , TO THE EXTENT 20
PRACTICABLE AND IN C OMPLIANCE WITH 28 C.F.R. § 35.160 AND THE FEDERAL 21
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990; AND 22

(4) provide sign language interpretation service s in a video remote 23
interpreting setting. 24

9–2419. 25

An applicant shall submit to the Board: 26

(1) a completed application on the form provided by the Board; 27

(2) payment of a nonrefundable application fee set by the Board; AND 28

8 HOUSE BILL 1192

(3) (I) proof of a valid nationally or regionally recognized certification 1
or other certification approved by the Board; [and] OR 2

[(4)] (II) documentation of satisfactory completion of any other 3
qualifications established by the Board. 4

9–2420. 5

(a) Subject to the provisions of this section, the Board may waive any requirement 6
of this part for an applicant who is licensed to provide sign language interpretation services 7
in another state. 8

(b) The Board [may] SHALL grant a waiver under this section only if the 9
applicant: 10

(1) pays to the Board: 11

(i) the nonrefundable application fee set by the Board; and 12

(ii) the license fee set by the Board; and 13

(2) provides satisfactory evidence that, at the time the applicant was 14
licensed in the other state, the a pplicant was required to meet the qualifications for 15
licensure that were substantially equivalent to the qualifications in the State. 16

(c) The Board may grant a waiver under this section only if the state in which the 17
applicant is licensed waives the qual ifications of licensees of the State to a similar extent 18
as the State waives the qualification requirements for individuals licensed in that state. 19

Chapter 269 of the Acts of 2023 20

SECTION 4. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That: 21

(a) (1) Beginning EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN PARAGRAP H (2) OF THIS 22
SUBSECTION, BEGINNING [January 1, 2025 ] JULY 1, 2027 JANUARY 1, 2028, an 23
individual who provides sign language interpretation services in the State shall meet the 24
requirements of Title 9, Subtitle 24, Part III of the Stat e Government Article, as enacted 25
by Section 3 of this Act. 26

(2) BEGINNING JULY 1, 2028, AN INDIVIDUAL WHO PR OVIDES SIGN 27
LANGUAGE INTERPRETATION SERVICES IN AN EDUCATIONAL SETTING SHALL MEET 28
THE REQUIREMENTS OF TITLE 9, SUBTITLE 24, PART III OF THE STATE 29
GOVERNMENT ARTICLE, AS ENACTED BY SECTION 3 OF THIS ACT. 30

HOUSE BILL 1192 9

(b) The State Board of Sign Language Interpreters shall develop and implement 1
a public awareness campaign to inform the public and relevant professionals of the 2
licensing requirements of this Act. 3

(c) Until set by the State Board of Sign Language Interpreters by regulation, the 4
fee for initial licensure under this Act is $150. 5

SECTION 5. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the member of the State 6
Board of Sign Language Interpreters who is required to have a license issued under this 7
Act and who is appointed to the Board under § 9–2411 of the State Government Article, as 8
enacted by Section 3 of this Act, before [January 1, 2025] JULY 1, 2027 JANUARY 1, 2028, 9
may satisfy the license requirement by holding a current nationally or regionally recognized 10
certification, as defined in § 9–2401 of the State Government Article, as enacted by Section 11
3 of this Act, or by meeting other criteria established by the Board. 12

Chapter 270 of the Acts of 2023 13

SECTION 4. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That: 14

(a) (1) Beginning EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS 15
SUBSECTION, BEGINNING [January 1, 2025 ] JULY 1, 2027 JANUARY 1, 2028, an 16
individual who provides sign language interpretation services in the State shall meet the 17
requirements of Title 9, Subtitle 24, Part III of the State Government Article, as enacted 18
by Section 3 of this Act. 19

(2) BEGINNING JULY 1, 2028, AN INDIVIDUAL WHO PR OVIDES SIGN 20
LANGUAGE INTERPRETATION SERVICES IN AN EDUCATIONAL SETTING SHALL MEET 21
THE REQUIREMENTS OF TITLE 9, SUBTITLE 24, PART III OF THE STATE 22
GOVERNMENT ARTICLE, AS ENACTED BY SECTION 3 OF THIS ACT. 23

(b) The State Board of Sign Language Interpreters shall develop and implement 24
a public awareness campaign to inform the public and relevant professionals of the 25
licensing requirements of this Act. 26

(c) Until set by the State Board of Sign Language Interpreters by regulation, the 27
fee for initial licensure under this Act is $150. 28

SECTION 5. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the member of the State 29
Board of Sign Language Interpreters who is required to have a license issued under this 30
Act and who is appointed to the Board under § 9–2411 of the State Government Article, as 31
enacted by Section 3 of this Act, before [January 1, 2025] JULY 1, 2027 JANUARY 1, 2028, 32
may satisfy the license requirement by holding a current nationally or regionally recognized 33
certification, as defined in § 9–2401 of the State Government Article, as enacted by Section 34
3 of this Act, or by meeting other criteria established by the Board. 35

10 HOUSE BILL 1192

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 1
October 1, 2026. 2

Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.