Effective January 1, 2026: Temporary Pause on Acceptance of all Supervisory License Applications and License Renewals
During the 2025 Legislative Session,
Senate Bill (SB) 950 (2025) was enacted to further refine the licensure and regulation of sign language interpreters (SLI) in Oregon. The bill requires the Board of Sign Language Interpreters (Board) to adopt administrative rules by January 1, 2026, to:
- Establish licensing and renewal fees;
- Establish requirements for obtaining an SLI–in-training license, including supervision and renewal standards;
- Align SLI supervisory, generalist, and provisional licenses with a three-year license and renewal cycle;
- Remove renewal limitations for the SLI generalist license and permit up to two renewals of the SLI provisional license, with each renewal valid for three years, effective January 1, 2026; and
- Establish authorized practice settings for individuals issued an SLI educational, legal, or medical licenses prior to January 1, 2026.
The Board was scheduled to meet on October 22, 2025, to adopt temporary rules necessary to meet the January 1, 2026, operative date of SB 950 (2025). However, a Board member's resignation during the meeting resulted in the loss of quorum, requiring the meeting to be canceled. Additional meetings could not be scheduled during the remainder of 2025 because quorum requirements continued to be unmet.
As a result, the Board was unable to adopt temporary rules or establish license and renewal fees prior to the bill's operative date. Accordingly, the Board will temporarily pause acceptance of all sign language interpreter license applications and license renewals until it is able to meet, adopt temporary rules, and establish a fee structure.
The Board is currently scheduled to meet on February 4, 2026, contingent upon meeting public meeting law requirements, including quorum and language access obligations. The HLO anticipates that temporary rules will be reviewed and adopted at that meeting.
Any license or renewal applications received by the HLO during the temporary pause, and prior to the adoption of temporary rules, will be returned to the sender with instructions on how to proceed.
Limited Waiver on Enforcement Extended
The Health Licensing Office (HLO) has extended the limited waiver on enforcement through midnight on December 31, 2026. This extension allows the Oregon Board of Sign Language Interpreters (Board) to continue finalizing the rulemaking process and allowing sufficient time for permanent rules to become effective. Extending the waiver also provides interested parties with additional time to implement the new rules into their business practices and operations.
Under this limited waiver, the HLO will not take disciplinary action against individuals providing signed language interpretation services without a permanent board license. This waiver applies only to the act of providing SLI services without a license. The HLO may still pursue disciplinary action for violations of any other applicable statutes or administrative rules.
The limited waiver allows businesses to employ or contract with an individual who is not licensed to provide signed language interpretation services. Employing or contracting with unlicensed individuals is a Class C misdemeanor pursuant to ORS 676.771. The HLO is not the entity responsible for enforcing Class C misdemeanors.
Beginning January 1, 2027, individuals providing signed language interpreting services in Oregon must hold a permanent board license to avoid enforcement action.
What You Need to Know
Scope of Practice Questions
Do you have a question about how a law or rule impacts your individualized practice?
Please know that the Health Licensing Office (HLO) and its boards do not provide individualized advice on how the law applies to practice in the field. Here are some resources:
- If you are looking for an attorney to provide you with legal advice about the statutes and rules governing your licensure, the Oregon State Bar has information on how to hire a lawyer.
- If you wish to file a complaint against a person for potentially violating statutes or rules, you may review the complaint process.
- If you wish to make a public comment on the statutes and rules governing your licensure, interested party feedback is encouraged at all public meetings.
- If you believe HLO and the board's rules need to be amended, you may file a rule petition with HLO for consideration. Please note that any rules must fit within HLO and the board's current statutory authority. Please also know that the board will consider your position but might not adopt your proposed rule. The statute that governs rule petitions is ORS 183.390.
- If you believe HLO and the board's statutes need to be amended, information about the legislative process is also available on the Oregon Legislature's website.
Please know the HLO and its boards remain neutral on substantive bills proposing changes to its laws and cannot act on your behalf in any proposals to change the governing statutes.
Questions?
For questions, please call (503) 378-8667, or go to the Health Licensing Office
Contact Us page to search for staff that specialize in specific areas of expertise.