Kanjorski Announces $367,040 for Luzerne County Community College Court Reporting Program

Nanticoke, Pa. - Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11) today announced that he successfully obtained $367,040 for Luzerne County Community College to enhance a model court-reporting/captioning program. Congressman Kanjorski was joined by Lisa Feissner, president of AccuScript in Hazleton, and Dr. Patricia Donohue, president of LCCC. The College has offered the program for two-and-a-half years, but will now be able to purchase upgraded equipment and technology for proper training.

Court reporters record all court proceedings. If a case if appealed, court reporters are asked to produce a transcript of the case. A closed captioner is like a court reporter, typing in the dialogue that accompanies television programs. The text is hidden as encoded data transmitted in the television signal and can be turned on to see the closed captions. Communications Access Realtime Translation (CART) is closed captioning in person. A CART captioner transcribes the verbatim dialogue in settings such as public meetings or speeches for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.

"This program will create a marketable set of skills that are in high demand and pay a substantial salary. I commend Luzerne County Community College for having the foresight to offer this program and Ms. Feissner for approaching me with the information about this market. I am pleased that the federal government realized the value of such a program for Northeastern Pennsylvania. It will create a highly skilled workforce which will in turn foster economic development. It will also provide accommodation for the 9.6 percent of Pennsylvanians who are deaf or hard-of-hearing," Congressman Kanjorski said.

"This grant money will allow LCCC to provide state-of-the-art training facilities for students looking to enter the judicial reporting and captioning professions.  Graduates of the court reporting/captioning program can look forward to an expanding job market and an exceptional earning capacity right here in Northeastern Pennsylvania," Ms. Feissner said.  

County court reporters can earn a starting salary of $30,000 plus benefits, and if they produce transcripts, they can earn more. Federal court reporters can earn a starting salary of $52,000. Ms. Feissner said the proper training allows court reporters and captioners to earn high salaries. Full-time court reporting jobs can pay $70,000 in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Part-time freelance court reporters can start at $25,000 to $30,000.

According to Dr. Donohue, "The court reporting/captioning program is a newer program at the College which is important to our region.  This grant money will help to provide the equipment our students need to learn in the court reporting program.  It also will help us to introduce the captioning program, develop a pre-screening process to assist with retention and graduation rates, and to further develop both programs within our curriculum."

Most court reporters in Northeastern Pennsylvania had been trained at Central Pennsylvania College in Harrisburg, but that program closed.

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