California 2013-2014 Regular Session Status: Enacted

AB 1657 — Courts: interpreters.

Last action — Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 721, Statutes of 2014.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed Assembly
  4. ✓
    Passed Senate
  5. ✓
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 11, 2014. Enacted.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 72% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

High

How often bills like it became law.

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 2 sponsors

    1 primary, 1 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 8 recorded votes so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

(1) The California Constitution provides that a person unable to understand English who is charged with a crime has the right to an interpreter throughout the proceedings. Existing statutory law requires, in any civil or criminal action, as specified, a sign language interpreter to be appointed for a party or witness who is deaf or hearing-impaired and generally requires the payment of these court interpreters' fees to be a charge against the court. Existing law generally requires court interpreters' fees to be paid by the litigants in civil cases, as directed by the court, but further requires the fees of an interpreter to be waived for a party who needs an interpreter and appears in forma pauperis. This bill would expressly authorize the court to provide a court interpreter in any civil action or proceeding at no cost to the parties, regardless of the income of the parties. The bill would require interpreters to be provided in accordance with a specified order of priority, until sufficient funds are appropriated to provide an interpreter to every party who needs one. (2) Existing law requires, in any action or proceeding under specified provisions of the Family Code relating to domestic violence, an interpreter to be provided by the court for a party who does not proficiently speak or understand the English language to interpret the proceedings in a language that the party understands and to assist communication between the party and his or her attorney, except that a court is authorized to issue prescribed orders ex parte without an interpreter. Existing law requires the fees of these interpreters to be paid by the parties, except that these fees shall be waived for parties who need an interpreter and appear in forma pauperis. This bill would repeal those provisions.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 721, Statutes of 2014.

  2. Approved by the Governor.

  3. Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.

  4. Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 6658.).

  5. Assembly Rule 77 suspended. (Ayes 55. Noes 24. Page 6646.)

  6. In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after August 29 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.

  7. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 36. Noes 0. Page 4901.).

  8. Ordered to third reading.

  9. Ordered to special consent calendar.

  10. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  11. Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

  12. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  13. From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (August 14).

  14. In committee: Placed on APPR. suspense file.

  15. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: to consent calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 24). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  16. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on JUD.

  17. In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

  18. Referred to Com. on JUD.

  19. In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

  20. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 75. Noes 0. Page 5022.)

  21. Ordered to third reading.

  22. From consent calendar.

  23. Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar.

  24. From committee: Do pass. To consent calendar. (Ayes 17. Noes 0.) (May 7).

  25. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  26. Read second time and amended.

  27. From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (April 22).

  28. In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.

  29. Referred to Com. on JUD.

  30. From printer. May be heard in committee March 14.

  31. Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

  • Chau · Cosponsor
  • Gomez · Primary

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 1 co-sponsors · 120 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

  • Gomez

Co-sponsors (1)

  • Chau

Not signed on (120)

120 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 120 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

AB 1657 GOMEZ Concurrence in Senate Amendments

Passed 78 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 71001
Democratic 4000
Republican 3000
Total 78001
% of votes cast 99%0%0%1%
How each member voted (79)
Member Party Vote
Achadjian — Yea
Ammiano — Yea
Bloom — Yea
Bradford — Yea
Brown — Yea
Buchanan — Yea
Harkey — Yea
Jones-Sawyer — Yea
Linder — Yea
Maienschein — Yea
Mansoor — Yea
Nazarian — Yea
Ridley-Thomas — Yea
Wagner — Yea
Wieckowski — Yea
Gorell — Yea
Rodriguez — Yea
Campos — Yea
Frazier — Yea
Chau — Yea
Allen — Yea
Chesbro — Yea
Bonilla — Yea
Gordon — Yea
Hagman — Yea
Hall — Yea
Holden — Yea
Logue — Yea
Medina — Yea
Gray — Yea
Mullin — Yea
Bocanegra — Yea
John A. Pérez — Yea
Salas — Yea
Olsen — Yea
Lowenthal — Yea
Pan — Yea
Garcia — Yea
Alejo — Yea
Bigelow — Yea
Chávez — Yea
Conway — Yea
Cooley — Yea
Dickinson — Yea
Eggman — Yea
Quirk — Yea
Rendon — Yea
Skinner — Yea
Ting — Yea
Waldron — Yea
Weber — Yea
Wilk — Yea
Atkins — Yea
Fong — Yea
Dababneh — Yea
Levine — Yea
Donnelly — Not Voting
Melendez — Yea
Nestande — Yea
Perea — Yea
Williams — Yea
Daly — Yea
Fox — Yea
Gatto — Yea
Yamada — Yea
Gomez — Yea
Beth Gaines — Yea
Jim Patterson — Yea
Lorena Gonzalez — Yea
Mark Stone — Yea
Roger Hernández — Yea
V. Manuel Pérez — Yea
Bonta, Mia Democratic Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Muratsuchi, Al Democratic Yea
Quirk-Silva, Sharon Democratic Yea
Dahle, Megan Republican Yea
Grove, Shannon Republican Yea
Jones, Brian W. Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Special Consent #19 AB1657 Gomez By Correa

Passed 36 Yea · 0 Nay · 4 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 34003
Democratic 2001
Total 36004
% of votes cast 90%0%0%10%
How each member voted (40)
Member Party Vote
Beall — Yea
Block — Yea
Hernandez — Yea
Hill — Yea
Lieu — Yea
Nielsen — Yea
Steinberg — Yea
Wright — Not Voting
Correa — Yea
Evans — Yea
Fuller — Yea
Hueso — Yea
Huff — Yea
Lara — Yea
Leno — Yea
Cannella — Yea
Liu — Yea
Mitchell — Yea
De León — Yea
Anderson — Yea
Torres — Yea
Walters — Yea
Wyland — Yea
Corbett — Yea
Hancock — Not Voting
Knight — Yea
Monning — Yea
Morrell — Yea
Pavley — Yea
Roth — Yea
Vidak — Yea
Wolk — Yea
DeSaulnier — Yea
Galgiani — Yea
Yee — Not Voting
Beth Gaines — Yea
Bill Berryhill — Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Not Voting
Jackson, Corey A. Democratic Yea
Padilla, Stephen C. Democratic Yea

Official roll call →

Do pass.

Passed 5 Yea · 0 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 4002
Democratic 1000
Total 5002
% of votes cast 71%0%0%29%
How each member voted (7)
Member Party Vote
Hill — Yea
Lara — Yea
Steinberg — Yea
De León — Yea
Walters — Not Voting
Beth Gaines — Not Voting
Padilla, Stephen C. Democratic Yea

Official roll call →

AB 1657 GOMEZ Assembly Third Reading

Passed 75 Yea · 0 Nay · 4 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 68004
Democratic 4000
Republican 3000
Total 75004
% of votes cast 95%0%0%5%
How each member voted (79)
Member Party Vote
Achadjian — Yea
Ammiano — Yea
Bradford — Yea
Brown — Yea
Buchanan — Yea
Harkey — Yea
Holden — Yea
Linder — Yea
Mansoor — Not Voting
Wagner — Yea
Waldron — Yea
Wilk — Yea
Dababneh — Yea
Daly — Yea
Hagman — Yea
Allen — Yea
Lowenthal — Yea
Garcia — Yea
Gray — Yea
Atkins — Yea
Bigelow — Yea
Logue — Yea
Ridley-Thomas — Yea
Skinner — Yea
Fong — Yea
Campos — Yea
Chau — Yea
Bonilla — Yea
Gatto — Yea
Gordon — Yea
Hall — Yea
Bocanegra — Yea
John A. Pérez — Yea
Jones-Sawyer — Yea
Salas — Yea
Levine — Yea
Maienschein — Yea
Chesbro — Yea
Medina — Yea
Melendez — Yea
Mullin — Yea
Nazarian — Not Voting
Nestande — Not Voting
Alejo — Yea
Bloom — Yea
Chávez — Yea
Conway — Yea
Cooley — Yea
Dickinson — Yea
Donnelly — Not Voting
Eggman — Yea
Olsen — Yea
Pan — Yea
Perea — Yea
Quirk — Yea
Rendon — Yea
Rodriguez — Yea
Ting — Yea
Weber — Yea
Wieckowski — Yea
Williams — Yea
Fox — Yea
Frazier — Yea
Yamada — Yea
Gomez — Yea
Gorell — Yea
Beth Gaines — Yea
Jim Patterson — Yea
Lorena Gonzalez — Yea
Mark Stone — Yea
Roger Hernández — Yea
V. Manuel Pérez — Yea
Bonta, Mia Democratic Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Muratsuchi, Al Democratic Yea
Quirk-Silva, Sharon Democratic Yea
Dahle, Megan Republican Yea
Grove, Shannon Republican Yea
Jones, Brian W. Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Do pass, to Consent Calendar.

Passed 17 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 15000
Republican 1000
Democratic 1000
Total 17000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (17)
Member Party Vote
Bigelow — Yea
Bradford — Yea
Holden — Yea
Linder — Yea
Quirk — Yea
Ridley-Thomas — Yea
Campos — Yea
Weber — Yea
Bocanegra — Yea
Gomez — Yea
Pan — Yea
Wagner — Yea
Donnelly — Yea
Eggman — Yea
Gatto — Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Jones, Brian W. Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

public-safety civil-rights labor
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does AB 1657 do?
(1) The California Constitution provides that a person unable to understand English who is charged with a crime has the right to an interpreter throughout the proceedings. Existing statutory law requires, in any civil or criminal action, as specified, a sign language interpreter to be appointed for a party or witness who is deaf or hearing-impaired and generally requires the payment of these court interpreters' fees to be a charge against the court. Existing law generally requires court interpreters' fees to be paid by the litigants in civil cases, as directed by the court, but further requires the fees of an interpreter to be waived for a party who needs an interpreter and appears in forma pauperis. This bill would expressly authorize the court to provide a court interpreter in any civil action or proceeding at no cost to the parties, regardless of the income of the parties. The bill would require interpreters to be provided in accordance with a specified order of priority, until sufficient funds are appropriated to provide an interpreter to every party who needs one. (2) Existing law requires, in any action or proceeding under specified provisions of the Family Code relating to domestic violence, an interpreter to be provided by the court for a party who does not proficiently speak or understand the English language to interpret the proceedings in a language that the party understands and to assist communication between the party and his or her attorney, except that a court is authorized to issue prescribed orders ex parte without an interpreter. Existing law requires the fees of these interpreters to be paid by the parties, except that these fees shall be waived for parties who need an interpreter and appear in forma pauperis. This bill would repeal those provisions.
Who sponsors AB 1657?
AB 1657 is sponsored by Chau and Gomez.
What is the current status of AB 1657?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 11, 2014. Enacted.
Where can I track AB 1657?
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