BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
AB 177 (Bonilla) - Professions and vocations: licensing boards:
authority: extension
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|Version: June 30, 2015 |Policy Vote: B., P. & E.D. 9 - |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: No |
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|Hearing Date: August 17, 2015 |Consultant: Brendan McCarthy |
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This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: AB 177 would extend the statutory sunset of the Board
for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists, the
California Architects Board, and the Landscape Architects
Technical Committee until January 1, 2020.
Fiscal
Impact:
No significant costs are anticipated due to the extension of
the sunset of the Board for Professional Engineers, Land
Surveyors and Geologists (Professional Engineer's, Land
Surveyor's, and Geologist's Fund). Current law imposes a
sunset on the existence of the Board for Professional
Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists as an appointed
board. However, there is no sunset on the larger body of law
requiring licensure and oversight of the practice of
engineering, land surveying, and geology. If the Board was
allowed to sunset, the overall licensing and regulatory
program would still exist in law.
AB 177 (Bonilla) Page 1 of
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Potential one-time costs up to $150,000 for the Board of
Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists to
develop educational standards for geologists, geophysicists,
and geologists-in-training (Professional Engineer's, Land
Surveyor's, and Geologist's Fund).
No significant costs are anticipated due to the extension of
the sunset of the California Architects Board (California
Architects Board Fund). Current law imposes a sunset on the
existence of the California Architects Board as an appointed
board. However, there is no sunset on the larger body of law
requiring licensure and oversight of the practice of
architecture. If the Board was allowed to sunset, the overall
licensing and regulatory program would still exist in law.
No significant costs are anticipated due to the extension of
the sunset of the Landscape Architects Technical Committee
(Landscape Architects Fund). Current law imposes a sunset on
the existence of the Landscape Architects Technical Committee
as an appointed board. However, there is no sunset on the
larger body of law requiring licensure and oversight of the
practice of landscape architecture. If the Board was allowed
to sunset, the overall licensing and regulatory program would
still exist in law.
Background: Under current law, the Board for Professional Engineers, Land
Surveyors, and Geologists licenses and regulates engineers, land
surveyors, and geologists. Current law sunsets the operation of
the Board on January 1, 2016. Current law specifies that
individuals seeking licensure as a geologist must have graduated
with a major in geological sciences. Under current law, the
Board is supported by license fees deposited in both the Geology
and Geophysics Account and the Professional Engineers and Land
Surveyors Fund.
Under current law, the California Architects Board licenses and
regulates architects. Current law sunsets the operation of the
Board on January 1, 2016.
Under current law, the Landscape Architects Technical Committee
(under the California Architects Board) licenses and regulates
landscape architects. Current law sunsets the operation of the
AB 177 (Bonilla) Page 2 of
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Committee on January 1, 2016.
Proposed Law:
AB 177 would extend the statutory sunset of the Board for
Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists, the
California Architects Board, and the Landscape Architects
Technical Committee until January 1, 2020.
In addition, the bill would make several minor changes to the
operation of the Board for Professional Engineers, Land
Surveyors, and Geologists. Specifically, the bill would combine
the Geology and Geophysics Account and the Professional
Engineers and Land Surveyors Fund (both overseen by the Board)
into a new Professional Engineer's, Land Surveyor's, and
Geologist's Fund. The bill would give the Board authority to
discipline a licensee for failure to respond to a request for
information stemming from a complaint. The bill would give the
Board the authority to develop education standards for licensure
as a geologist, geophysicist, or geologist-in-training, rather
than relying exclusively on the degree awarded to an applicant.
Staff
Comments: Consistent with current practice for the Geology and
Geophysics Account and the Professional Engineers and Land
Surveyors Fund, the bill would continuously appropriate the
monies in the Professional Engineer's, Land Surveyor's, and
Geologist's Fund.
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