BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                           Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair

                                          SB 692 (Walters)
          
          Hearing Date: 5/26/2011         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: 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 title acts.  Under this bill, in addition to 
          civil, electrical and mechanical engineering the title acts of 
          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."  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. 

          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 








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          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 an 
          October test date.

          For 2011-12, the Professional Engineers' and Land Surveyors' 
          Fund has a 1.1 month balance, increasing to 2.1 months and 2.8 
          months in 2012-13 and 2013-14.