BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                           Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair

                                          SB 692 (Walters)
          
          Hearing Date: 5/9/2011          Amended: As Introduced
          Consultant: Bob Franzoia        Policy Vote: B,P&ED 5-0
          
















































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          BILL SUMMARY: SB 692, an urgency measure, would prohibit the 
          practice of agricultural, chemical, control system, fire 
          protection, industrial, metallurgical, nuclear, petroleum, and 
          traffic engineering, as defined, by any person who has not 
          passed a specified examination and who is not appropriately 
          licensed by the board in the particular discipline. The bill 
          would authorize any licensed engineer to practice engineering 
          work in any of those fields in which he or she is competent and 
          proficient. The bill would make other changes to related 
          provisions.
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                            Fiscal Impact (in thousands)

           Major Provisions         2011-12      2012-13       2013-14     Fund
           Change in professional $747 ($637)$724 ($477) $724 
          ($477)Special*
          licensing requirement  

          * Professional Engineers' and Land Surveyors' Fund
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          STAFF COMMENTS: This bill meets the criteria for referral to the 
          Suspense File.
          
          Under the Professional Engineers Act (Act), three branches of 
          engineering are defined as "practice acts" (civil, mechanical, 
          and electrical), nine branches of engineering as "title acts" 
          (agricultural, chemical, control system, fire protection, 
          industrial, metallurgical, nuclear, petroleum, and traffic), and 
          two as "title authorities" (structural and soil).  Any person 
          registered under a practice act may perform any engineering work 
          considered to be agricultural, chemical, control system, fire 
          protection, industrial, metallurgical, nuclear, petroleum, or 
          traffic engineering.  Under this bill, in addition to civil, 
          electrical and mechanical engineering, agricultural, chemical, 
          control system, fire protection, industrial, metallurgical, 
          nuclear, petroleum, and traffic engineering would be established 
          as "practice acts" and no longer as "title acts" and generally 
          incorporated into the provisions relating to the three practice 
          acts.  The bill provides that only those individuals licensed by 
          the Board of Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and 
          Geologists (board) may practice in these branches of 
          engineering. 








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          By changing definitions that regulate the practice of 
          engineering, it is anticipated the board will receive a major 
          increase in applications from persons seeking to take a national 
          license exam.  The board's application fee has not been adjusted 
          (by regulation) since approximately 2003 and does not fully 
          offset the cost of the application process.  An increase in 
          applications would further exacerbate this shortfall 
          (approximately $250,000 annually).  Also, this bill may increase 
          enforcement duties for a period of time to respond to complaints 
          of unlicensed activities.  Some increase in unlicensed activity 
          may be inadvertent due to the timing of this bill and the timing 
          of the national exam, which has a July application date and a 
          November test date.