A. There is hereby created the State Board of Examiners of Certified Courtroom Interpreters which shall consist of five (5) members, four of whom shall be certified courtroom interpreters and at least one of whom shall be a qualified interpreter as defined in Section 2408 of Title 63 of the Oklahoma Statutes, at least one of whom shall be certified in Spanish, and at least one of whom shall be certified in Vietnamese. The Board shall also consist of one member who shall be a licensed attorney or judge and who shall not be required to be a certified courtroom interpreter. The members shall be persons who have been, for at least two (2) years prior to their appointment to the Board, residents of this state and, except for the attorney or judge member, certified courtroom interpreters. All members shall be appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and shall serve in staggered terms, each for a period of five (5) years except for the initial appointees who shall serve terms pursuant to subsection B of this section. The Board shall elect from its membership a chair and a secretary. Three members shall constitute a quorum. The Board may adopt a seal for its official use. All actions of the Board shall be supervised by the Supreme Court and be subjected to approval by the Court. All members shall be required to maintain their certification during their time on the Board. The Chief Justice may authorize other individuals to serve as Board members upon recommendation of the Board that it is in the best interest of the court interpreter credentialing program to do so.

B. The initial members of the Board shall serve as follows:

1. The members constituting the initial Board under Sections 1701 through 1710 of this title shall be certified as courtroom interpreters in another state or under the federal system or shall be other individuals appointed by the Chief Justice; and

2. The initial appointees shall serve for staggered terms: one member shall serve for one (1) year, one member shall serve for two (2) years, one member shall serve for three (3) years, one member shall serve for four (4) years, and one member shall serve for five (5) years. Thereafter, all terms shall be for five (5) years.

Added by Laws 2005, c. 427, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2005. Amended by Laws 2019, c. 288, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2019.