HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 1534

                    As Passed Legislature

Title:  An act relating to engineers and professional land surveyors.

Brief Description:  Changing the registration requirements relating to professional land surveyors and engineers.

Sponsors:  Representatives Cairnes, Romero, Lisk and Cody.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Commerce & Labor:  2/8/95, 2/15/95 [DP].

  Floor Activity:

     Passed House:  3/8/95, 97-0.

Senate Amended.

House Concurred.

Passed Legislature.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE & LABOR

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 11 members:  Representatives Lisk, Chairman; Hargrove, Vice Chairman; Thompson, Vice Chairman; Romero, Ranking Minority Member; Conway, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Cairnes; Cody; Cole; Fuhrman; Goldsmith and Horn.

Staff:  Pam Madson (786-7166).

Background:  Engineers and land surveyors are required to be registered with the Department of Licensing as a prerequisite to engaging in the "practice of engineering" or the "practice of land surveying."  Engineer registration is divided into two categories, "professional engineer" and "engineer-in-training."  For land surveyors, there is no category of registration equivalent to "engineer-in-training."

A "professional engineer" must have eight years or more of specific work experience approved by the Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors and must have passed an examination prescribed by the board.  Graduation from a school or college with an approved engineering curriculum of four years or more is considered the equivalent of four years of work experience.  Each year, up to four years, in an approved program is considered the equivalent of one year of experience.

An "engineer-in-training" must have at least four years of experience as required for a professional engineer and must have passed the first part of a two-part examination.

A "professional land surveyor" must have six years or more of specific work experience approved by the board and must have passed an examination prescribed by the board.  Graduation from an approved curriculum of four years or more is considered the equivalent of four years of work experience.

In Washington, engineers and land surveyors who retire do not have a special license status.  They simply choose to continue renewing their license or allow it to become delinquent.

Summary of Bill:  The registration provisions relating to land surveyors are amended to make the land surveyor registration requirements roughly equivalent to the engineer registration requirements.

A "professional land surveyor" must have eight years or more of specific work experience and must have passed an examination prescribed by the Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.  Graduation from an approved curriculum of four years or more is considered the equivalent of four years of work experience.  Approved postgraduate college courses shall be considered for up to one additional year of experience.

A new category of registrant, a "land surveyor-in-training", is created.  A "land surveyor-in-training" must have at least four years of experience as required for a professional land surveyor and must have passed the first part of a two-part examination. 

The examinations for "engineer-in-training" and "land surveyor-in-training" registration may be taken after the applicant has achieved senior standing at an approved school.

The Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors may create a special license status for retired professional engineers and land surveyors and may exempt them from payment of any license renewal fee.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Requested on January 31, 1995.

Effective Date:  The bill takes effect July 1, 1996.

Testimony For:  Establishing a land surveyor-in-training program will help put more qualified and competent people in the profession.  The board has been conservative in evaluating the experience that qualifies to get into the profession.  This approach allows applicants to take the first part of an exam and then obtain the experience to improve the quality of those in the profession.  It helps clarify experience that qualifies toward a professional license.  It also provides a path for access to the profession.  It also helps make those who are in training more employable.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Representative Jack Cairnes, prime sponsor (pro); Pat Beehler, Land Surveyors Association and Architect and Engineers Legislative Council (pro); Ken Brown, Washington State Department of Natural Resources; and Martin Paquette, Jim Sammons, and Megan Ayres, Renton Technical College.