The bill amends Section 57.002(d) of the Government Code to allow courts in counties with a population of 50,000 or more to appoint spoken language interpreters who are not certified or licensed court interpreters under specific conditions. The new legal language specifies that this appointment is permissible if the language required in the proceeding is not Spanish and if the court finds that there is no licensed court interpreter available within 75 miles who can interpret the necessary language. Additionally, the bill expands the circumstances under which a court can appoint such interpreters to include justice courts, municipal courts, and municipal courts of record.

The bill is set to take effect on September 1, 2025. This change aims to improve access to interpretation services in court proceedings for individuals who speak languages other than Spanish, ensuring that language barriers do not impede justice in these jurisdictions.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Government Code 57.002 (Government Code 57)