Amend CSSB 1139 (senate committee report) by adding the following appropriately numbered ARTICLE to the bill and renumbering the remaining ARTICLES of the bill accordingly:

ARTICLE ____.  TELEPHONE INTERPRETER SERVICES IN CRIMINAL PROCEEDING

SECTION ____.01.  Article 38.30(a-1), Code of Criminal Procedure, is amended to read as follows:

(a-1)  A qualified telephone interpreter may be sworn to interpret for the person in any criminal [the trial of a Class C misdemeanor or a] proceeding before a judge or magistrate if an interpreter is not available to appear in person at the proceeding [before the court] or if the only available interpreter is not considered to possess adequate interpreting skills for the particular situation or is unfamiliar with the use of slang.  In this subsection, "qualified telephone interpreter" means a telephone service that employs:

(1)  licensed court interpreters as defined by Section 157.001, Government Code; or

(2)  federally certified court interpreters.