§34-16-7. Exemptions.

The following persons shall be exempt from licensure or permitting pursuant to this chapter:

(1) Any student who is enrolled in a formal American sign language program, a formal interpreter training program, or a formal interpreter or transliterator internship program. The student shall be allowed to interpret or transliterate as part of his or her training for a maximum of 16 weeks in an educational setting or 120 hours in an agency or business.

(2) Any person who interprets or transliterates solely in a church, synagogue, temple, or other religious setting.

(3) Any person residing outside of the State of Alabama may provide interpreting and transliterating services for up to 14 working days per calendar year without a license.

(4) Any person desiring to interpret for remuneration where circumstances do not allow for fulfillment of the stated requirements for licensure or permitting may petition the board for exemption status.

(5) Those public education personnel and State Department of Rehabilitation personnel, who are not hired as interpreters and transliterators and who are not as a part of their job description responsible for providing interpreting or transliteration services, in circumstances that may necessitate their function as interpreters and transliterators in emergency or incidental situations.

(6) All other public education personnel hired prior to March 15, 2000, who provide interpreting and transliterating services to students. These personnel shall apply for and receive a permit specifying that their permits are restricted to interpreting and transliteration services provided in the public education setting only. The application for this permit shall be submitted to the board prior to October 1, 2000. It shall be the responsibility of the permit holder to annually renew the permit by earning continuing education units in compliance with the requirements of the interpreters and transliterators licensure law. If personnel, who have been grandfathered in pursuant to this subdivision, for any reason should allow their permits to lapse or expire, those personnel shall lose all privileges of this exemption and shall adhere to all requirements of the interpreters and transliterators licensure law to renew their permits.

(Act 98-675, p. 1480, §7; Act 2000-755, p. 1711, §1.)