BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    




                    Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
          
                                           927 (Escutia)
          
          Hearing Date:  5/31/01          Amended: 4/25/01       
          Consultant:  Karen French           Policy Vote: Judiciary   
          4-1                      
          ____________________________________________________________ 
          ___
          BILL SUMMARY: 
          
          SB 927 expands statewide the Family Law Interpreter Pilot  
          Program (FLIPP) to require the presence of a certified or  
          registered court interpreter for a party in any proceeding  
          involving domestic violence or family court mediation who  
          is deaf or hearing impaired or for a party who does not  
          proficiently speak or understand the English language.

                              Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
           
          Major Provisions        2001-02             2002-03               2003-04   
           Fund  
          
          Court costs      $3,000       $3,000                 $3,000Local
          Offsetting savings              
          ------------------Unknown-------------------Local
          
          STAFF COMMENTS:  
          
          SUSPENSE FILE.

          The costs of this bill are limited by lack of available  
          certified interpreters.  If the pool of interpreters were  
          to be expanded, costs would be higher.  A survey following  
          the one-year pilot showed that judicial officers reported  
          that the services of interpreters reduced the amount of  
          courtroom time needed for hearings and that fewer  
          continuances were granted.   These savings have not been  
          quantified or independently verified.

          Existing law requires a court interpreter for any person  
          who does not understand English and is charged with a  
          crime.  Existing law also requires a sign language  
          interpreter at county expense for the deaf or hearing  
          impaired in any civil or criminal action.











          This bill is a more refined version of AB 2589 (Cardenas),  
          which died on this committee's Suspense File last year.