HOUSE BILL REPORT

                 SSB 5612

                       As Passed House

                       April 14, 1997

Title:  An act relating to the registration of architects.

Brief Description:  Providing qualifications for granting certificates of registration to architects.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Commerce & Labor (originally sponsored by Senators Long, Wojahn, Hale and Horn).

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Commerce & Labor:  3/31/97, 4/2/97 [DP].

Floor Activity:

Passed House:  4/14/97, 86‑6.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE & LABOR

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 8 members:  Representatives McMorris, Chairman; Conway, Ranking Minority Member; Wood, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Boldt; Clements; Cole; Hatfield and Lisk.

Minority Report:  Without recommendation.  Signed by 1 member:  Representative Honeyford, Vice Chairman.

Staff:  Selwyn Walters (786-7117).

Background:  An architect must be registered to practice in Washington.  An architect must pass an examination to become registered.  To qualify to take the architect's examination, an applicant must be 18 years old, have an accredited architectural degree and three years of experience approved by the Board of Registration for Architects, at least two years of which must be under the direct supervision of an architect.  An applicant may also have eight years of practical architectural work experience approved by the Board of Registration, at least four years of which must be under the direct supervision of an architect.  Persons who had designed buildings as a principal activity for at least eight years or had an equivalent combination of education and experience, but were not registered as architects prior to July 1985 are also qualified to take the architect's examination if they applied before July 25, 1989.

Summary of Bill:  To qualify to take the architect's examination, an applicant must have either completed a structured intern training program, or have eight years of practical architectural work experience  and have completed a structured intern training program. The eight years of practical architectural work experience may include designing buildings as a principal activity.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  The bill takes effect on July 29, 2001.

Testimony For:  The present training and internship program for architects is unstructured and too general. A structured internship program will ensure architects are better trained, and better prepared to achieve competency in the 16 areas of architectural expertise.  The bill=s effective date of July 1, 2001 will allow applicants sufficient time to adhere to the requirements in the structured internship program.

Testimony Against:  Requiring an architect to participate in a structured internship program is unnecessary because an architect under the current architect=s licensing law is already adequately trained.  The experience and academic requirements for architects under the current licensing law are adequate to ensure competency in the field.  An internship program requires an architect to work in an architect=s office.  However, under those circumstances the trainee architect is disadvantaged because he or she is paid substandard wages and does not benefit from the employer architect who is not in the training and educating business.

Testified:  (In support) Senator Jeanine Long, prime sponsor; Norman Johnston, State Board of Registration for Architects; and Cliff Webster, Architects and Engineers Legislative Council.  (Opposed) Wayne Sorenson, Washington State Association of Building Design.