BILL ANALYSIS
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|Hearing Date:June 22, 2009 |Bill No:AB |
| |645 |
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SENATE COMMITTEE ON BUSINESS, PROFESSIONS AND
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Senator Gloria Negrete McLeod, Chair
Bill No: AB 645Author:Niello
As Amended:June 11, 2009 Fiscal: Yes
SUBJECT: Professional engineers and land surveyors: licensing.
SUMMARY: Deletes the requirement that the license expiration date
appear on engineering plans or on land surveying documents; revises
references to "registered" engineers to refer instead to "licensed"
engineers; makes technical and conforming changes.
Existing law:
1)Licenses and regulates professional engineers and land surveyors by the
Board for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Board) within
the Department of Consumer Affairs.
2)Requires civil engineering, mechanical engineering, or electrical
engineering plans and other specified documents, prepared by a
registered engineer, that are to be released for construction to
bear the signature and seal or stamp of the registrant, the date of
signing and sealing or stamping, and the expiration date of the
certificate, authority or registration (license expiration date).
3)Requires that specified multiple page land surveying documents contain
the signature, seal or stamp, date of signing and sealing or
stamping, and license expiration date on specified pages.
This bill:
1) Deletes the requirement that the license expiration date appear
on engineering plans or on land surveying documents.
2) Revises references to "registered" engineers to refer instead
to "licensed" engineers.
AB 645
Page 2
3) Makes technical and conforming changes.
FISCAL EFFECT: This bill has been keyed "fiscal" by Legislative
Counsel. The Assembly Appropriations Committee Analysis is no longer
relevant to the bill as currently amended.
COMMENTS:
1.Recent Gut and Amend. This bill was amended on June 11, 2009 to
make a new bill. Although the bill was completely rewritten, it
still addresses the same issue as the prior version of the bill.
2.Purpose. This bill is sponsored by American Council of Engineering
Companies of California (Sponsor) to eliminate the requirement that
all civil engineering plans, calculations, specifications, and
reports be sealed or stamped with a stamp that includes the civil
engineer's license expiration date.
According to the Sponsor, the two-year license renewal period, coupled
with longer timelines in both private and public sector project
delivery, results in frequent situations where license renewal
occurs midstream in the project lifecycle. When this happens, plans
have to be reprinted, signed, and sealed solely due to the license
expiration date. "By removing the expiration date from the
information stamped on each document we can remove the costly and
time consuming consequence that mid-stream re-licensure causes"
according to the Sponsor.
3.Background. Up until 2001, engineering and land surveyor licenses
were renewed every
4 years. In 1998, the Board faced an impending fund deficit in the
2001/2002 fiscal year. To address the projected deficit, the Board
proposed a plan which included a combination of curtailed spending,
restructuring its schedule of fees, increasing certain fees, and
moving the license renewal cycle for a quadrennial renewal (every 4
years) to a biennial renewal (every 2 years). In its review of the
Board in 2000, the Joint Legislative Sunset Review Committee agreed
with the Board's recommendations.
4.Related Legislation. SB 136 (Figueroa, Chapter 495, Statutes of
2001) shortened the license renewal period from 4 years to 2 years
and increased the Board's licensing and renewal fees. That bill was
the result of recommendations made by the Joint Legislative Sunset
Review Committee and the Department of Consumer Affairs.
AB 645
Page 3
5.Arguments in Support. In sponsoring the bill, American Council of
Engineering Companies of California writes: "A typical small
project may take approximately one year to obtain entitlements and
another year for the preparation of improvement plans and mapping.
Larger projects, like master planned communities, can take 3-5
years, if not longer. Under the current conditions, a license may
expire prior to the completion of many projects. Many times, plans
have to be reprinted, signed and sealed solely due to license
expirations. This is both time consuming and costly."
6.Opposition to Prior Version. As originally introduced, the bill
would have reversed part of the changes made by SB 136 (Figueroa) in
2001, and moved licenses under the Board back to a 4 year renewal
cycle. The Board for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors
opposed that bill and proposed pursuing legislation to eliminate the
requirement for the expiration date on stamps for engineers and land
surveyors. Furthermore, the Board staff met with the Sponsors of
the bill and ultimately the Sponsors proposed amending the bill to
adopt the Board's proposed language.
SUPPORT AND OPPOSITION:
Support:
American Council of Engineering Companies of California (Sponsor)
Board for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors
Opposition:
None received as of June 16, 2009
Consultant:G. V. Ayers