LINCOLN- In protest to their pay, some interpreters for Nebraska's state courts are refusing to go to work. An increase to pay for court interpreters was proposed in the state's two-year budget but was later vetoed by Governor Pillen. There was an attempt to override the veto, but it did not sustain. There is not an official number of interpreters that will be participating in the walkout.

A lack of available interpreters could mean delays in court services, an increased reliance on video interpreters and extra money spent extending some cases. Despite numerous attempts to raise wages for interpreters, there has not been a change since 2004. The current rate is $50 an hour for certified interpreters and $35 an hour for registered and non-certified interpreters, with a two-hour minimum.

The interpreters’ latest requested increase was $85 an hour for certified interpreters and $60 an hour for non-certified interpreters, with a 3% automatic yearly increase. In the Legislature, Sen. Dungan proposed a bill that would appropriate about $1.2 million in the budget to cover rate increases for court interpreters. After debate in the state’s Appropriations Committee, the funding was lowered to about $400,000, and was then eliminated entirely through Pillen’s veto.

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