SENATE BILL REPORT

                   SB 5548

               As Passed Senate, March 10, 1995

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

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

Sponsors:  Senators Fraser, Heavey, Hale, Newhouse, Deccio and Haugen.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Labor, Commerce & Trade:  2/13/95, 2/14/95 [DP].

Passed Senate, 3/10/95, 45-0.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON LABOR, COMMERCE & TRADE

Majority Report:  Do pass.

  Signed by Senators Pelz, Chair; Heavey, Vice Chair; Deccio, Franklin, Fraser, Hale, Palmer and Wojahn.

Staff:  Max Williams (786-7439)

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.

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 is 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 surveyor and must pass 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 achieves senior standing at an approved school. 

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Requested on January 27, 1995.

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

Testimony For:  This bill would bring the professional land surveyor experience requirements on par with that of professional engineer.  Extending the experience requirement from six to eight years (land surveyors) would not be an impediment since most people are not qualified to pass the final land surveying exam after only six years of experience.  Creating the land-surveyor-in-training designation (LSIT) will significantly enhance the employability of students of land surveying and would provide the industry with another level of surety that people performing some limited land surveying are registered with the state and have achieved a certain level of competence through the passage of the initial examination phase.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  PRO:  Patrick Beehler, AELC Land Surveyors Assn.; Kenneth Brown, WA Dept. of Natural Resources; Robert J. Barnard, surveying student, St. Martin's College; Jim Sammons, Megan Ayers, surveying students, Renton Technical College; Martin D. Paquette, instructor, Renton Technical College.