Wisconsin Lawmakers Expand Support for Sign Language Interpreters

A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers in the Wisconsin state legislature passed a measure meant to bolster the number of sign language interpreters in the state. Wisconsin has struggled over the past four years to recruit and retain interpreters due to a moratorium on the Registry for Interpreters for the Deaf examination. Under current law, entry-level interpreters can renew their licenses only twice before they have to sit for the examination, and if they don’t pass to a more advanced level, their licenses are taken away. Over 100 sign language interpreters have lost their jobs as a result. The new legislation would allow entry-level licenses to be renewed indefinitely, allow other examinations to be introduced in the state, and establish new criteria for intermediate and advanced licenses. Katie Voss of the Wisconsin Association of the Deaf testified before the legislature that the deaf community supports entry-level interpreters working in safe environments before advancing to more complicated interpretation in the legal and medical fields. “This bill does not just benefit the deaf community, but the hearing community, as well,” she said. State Sen. Patrick Testin, a Republican, coauthored the legislation, and said that the bill will ensure the deaf community isn’t silenced. “For those of us who have the use of all five senses, it’s hard to imagine how the inability to hear would change how we communicate, and how much we would come to count on another person—an interpreter—to share our thoughts, ideas, emotions and needs with the broader world,” he said. State Sen. LaTonya Johnson said that legislators “owed it to Wisconsinites who rely on sign language interpretation” to fix the current system. The bill “will advance the profession, provide safeguards for consumers in high risk settings, and ensure a voice for members of the deaf community in determining how their interpreters will be regulated in the future,” she said. The passage of the bill comes as a particular victory for state Rep. Jonathan Brostoff, Democrat, who vowed over a year ago not to cut his hair until the bill was passed. “Every time you see me, it's a visual indicator that we're going to keep working on this. And for myself, it's a daily reminder that I'm not going to forget this,” he said of the plan. Brostoff now plans to hold a party so his constituents can watch him cut his hair. [Stevens Point News; Madison.com; Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel; CBS 58]

MAYOR RESIGNS | Fred Wiedner, the mayor of Lexington, Missouri, resigned this week, saying that he “did not sign up for this mess,” in reference to threats made against him on social media. “The recent hatred, attacks and outright lies that have been hurled my direction on Facebook by some citizens of this community are absolutely disgusting,” Wiedner said in his resignation letter. A Lexington city clerk said hate messages directed to the mayor began in March after he fired a city administrator for allegedly promoting a ballot measure while working for the city government. An ethics commission later found no evidence to support the allegation. “We didn’t feel like the way it was handled was done the most professional way," said city council member Steve Terry. “We realize this has caused some dissension. We need to move past that. We need to move forward and upwards for Lexington.” After resigning, Wiedner put his home on the market and said he plans to move his family out of state as soon as possible. [KCTV; Fox 4 Kansas City]

HORSE RACING | California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law that authorizes the California Horse Racing Board to take immediate action against race licences if horse or rider safety is at risk. The move comes after Santa Anita Park, a thoroughbred race track in southern California, kept their facility running despite 30 horse deaths in the past six months. “Business as usual has resulted in too many horse deaths,” said Newsom after signing. “I applaud the legislature for taking action to expand the authority of the CHRB to cancel or move race meets when animal and human safety are at risk...This model can save horses’ lives.” Under previous law, the CHRB could not suspend a license on the suspicion of maltreatment, but only if a race track had been shown to violate a state horse racing rule. CHRB spokesman Mike Martin said the board chairman has yet to decide if there will be an emergency meeting to suspend Santa Anita Park. [Thoroughbred Daily News; CBS Sports]

ALASKA SPECIAL SESSION | Alaska state lawmakers are in a dispute with Gov. Mike Dunleavy about the location of the legislature’s special session. Lawmakers want to hold a session in Anchorage or Juneau, but Dunleavy is insisting that they come to Wasilla, a smaller city north of Anchorage. Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson said Dunleavy could send state troopers to round up absent legislators, sue the legislators who don’t show up in Wasilla, or invalidate any decisions made in the special session if it were held elsewhere. “He could, under Article III, Section 16, go to court — not against the legislature, because that’s not permitted — but against the absent legislators who are not present in Wasilla subject to the call and seek a court order compelling them to go to Wasilla,” Clarkson said. Clarkson added that state law allows the governor to select “literally anywhere” in the state for a special session. Megan Wallace, the director of the legislative legal services, however, told House leaders that they have legal precedent to refuse to come to Wasilla. “While the governor is statutorily required...to designate the location of a special session if outside the capital, the governor does not have the constitutional power to compel the legislature to meet in a location other than the capital,” she wrote in a memo. The special session is set to begin July 8. [KTOO Public Media; KTUU; Must Read Alaska]

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE | The city council of St. Louis Park, a Minneapolis suburb, voted unanimously to stop reciting the Pledge of Allegiance before city council meetings. "In order to create a more welcoming environment to a diverse community, we are going to forgo saying the Pledge of Allegiance before every meeting," said Council Member Tim Brausen. Not all city residents are pleased about the change. David Gohman, who has lived in St. Louis Park for 30 years, said the Pledge of Allegiance represents American freedom. "I think it should be said every time, whether it is in school or meetings or whatever. We owe it to the country," he said. Mayor Jake Spano said that nixing the pledge wasn't a priority for him. "I think there are more substantive things we should be working on to make our city more open and welcoming,” he said. [Associated Press; CBS Minnesota]