BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 1746
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   April 14, 2010

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                AB 1746 (Emmerson) - As Introduced:  February 8, 2010 

          Policy Committee:                              Business and  
          Professions  Vote:                            11 - 0 

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill authorizes the California Architects Board (CAB) to  
          accept self-certification of completed continuing education (CE)  
          requirements for license renewals. Specifically, this bill:

          1)Requires licensees to continue submitting specified  
            documentation of completed CE requirements to CAB as a  
            condition of license renewal until the conclusion of the  
            license renewal cycle beginning January 1, 2011.

          2)Requires a licensee to self-certify completed CE requirements  
            to CAB, as a part of the license renewal process, beginning  
            January 1, 2013. 

          3)Authorizes CAB to audit a licensee's records of CE provider  
            completion, and requires CAB to audit at least three percent  
            of license renewals received each year until January 1, 2015.

          4)Requires a licensee to maintain CE records for a minimum of  
            two years from the date of license renewal and to make the  
            records available to CAB for an audit, upon request.

          5)Requires a licensee who fails to complete the required CE  
            coursework or provides false or misleading statements to pay a  
            civil penalty not to exceed $5,000, and/or face license  
            suspension or revocation.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          1)Savings in excess of $400,000 (California Architects Board  
            Fund) per year due to the removal of the requirement that CAB  








                                                                  AB 1746
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            certify the course work all of their licensees as a condition  
            of licensure renewal.

          2)On-going annual costs in excess of $100,000 (California  
            Architects Board Fund) per year for auditing and enforcement  
            activities.  

          3)Approximately $10,000 per year in increased fine revenue as a  
            result of the three percent audit requirement.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale  . According to the author's office, "SB 1608  
            (Corbett), Chapter 549, Statutes of 2008, required California  
            architects to take disability access CE as a condition of  
            license renewal.  In its brief life, the reporting  
            requirements have been costly and burdensome for CAB to  
            manage.  Additionally, it delayed confirmation of license  
            renewal for many architects renewing in 2009 who complied with  
            CE requirements.  This bill would change reporting  
            requirements to a certification and audit model?and allow CAB  
            to manage the CE requirements in a more effective and  
            efficient manner."

           2)Background  . CAB establishes regulations for the examination  
            and licensing of the profession of architecture in California,  
            which today numbers approximately 22,000 licensed architects  
            and approximately 11,000 candidates who are in the process of  
            meeting examination and licensure requirements.  
           
          3)Related Legislation  . SB 1608 (Corbett; Chapter 549, Statutes  
            of 2008), required as a condition of license renewal, that an  
            architect complete coursework regarding disability access  
            requirements and certify to CAB completion of the coursework  
            prior to their license renewal.

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081