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CA Licensure Board Appoints New Executive Officer

The Board for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (BPELS) has appointed Mr. David Brown as its new Executive Officer.  He will begin on June 1, 2009.  Mr. Brown previously worked for the Board as the Special Assistant to the Executive Officer and as the Board's Legislative Analyst..  Mr. Brown's prior positions include Executive Officer to the Court Reporters Board.  Ms. Cindy Christianson, PE, the former BPELS Executive Officer, has taken the Deputy Executive Officer position at the State Contractors Board.
  

AB 484, as amended, Eng. Franchise Tax Board: professional or occupational licenses.

The Personal Income Tax Law and the Bank and Corporation Tax Law impose taxes on, or measured by, income. Existing law allows a tax return or return information filed under those laws to be disclosed in a judicial or administrative proceeding pertaining to tax administration under certain circumstances. Existing law requires every board, as defined under the Business and Professions Code, and the Department of Insurance to, upon request of the Franchise Tax Board, furnish to the Franchise Tax Board certain information with respect to every licensee. Existing law authorizes many of these boards to impose fees on its licensees to cover its costs in administering its respective provisions and in some cases these funds are deposited into continuously appropriated funds.

This bill would require a state governmental licensing entity, as defined, issuing professional or occupational licenses, certificates, registrations, or permits to provide to the Franchise Tax Board the name and social security number or federal taxpayer identification number of each individual licensee of that entity. The bill would require the Franchise Tax Board, if a licensee fails to pay taxes for which a notice of state tax lien has been recorded, as specified, to mail a preliminary notice of suspension to the licensee. The bill would provide that the license of a licensee who fails to satisfy the unpaid taxes by a certain date shall be automatically suspended, except as specified, would require the Franchise Tax Board to provide a notice of suspension to the applicable state governmental licensing entity and to mail a notice of suspension to the licensee, and would provide that the suspension be canceled upon compliance with the tax obligation. The bill would require the Franchise Tax Board to meet certain requirements and would make related changes. The bill would authorize a state governmental licensing entity, as specified, to impose a fee on a licensee with a suspended license in an amount necessary to cover its administrative costs. The bill would make implementation of its provisions contingent upon appropriation of funds for that purpose in the annual Budget Act.

AB 645, as introduced, Niello.  Professional engineers and land surveyors: licensing.

  Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of professional engineers and land surveyors by the Board of Professional Engineers and  Land Surveyors in the Department of Consumer Affairs, and requires licenses issued by the board to be renewed every 2 years. Existing law authorizes the board to fix license application fees, up to specified maximum amounts, and provides for other fees, the amounts of which are based on the amount of the application fees. Those fees are deposited into the Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors Fund, a continuously appropriated fund.

This bill would instead require licenses issued by the board to be renewed every 4 years and would double the maximum amounts of the license application fees. By increasing the amount of funds deposited into a continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an appropriation.

SB 275 Author: Walters     

SUBJECT:  Professional engineers.

SUMMARY:  In addition to civil, electrical and mechanical engineering, establishes agricultural, chemical, control system, fire protection, industrial, metallurgical, nuclear, petroleum, and traffic engineering as "practice acts" in California (as opposed to "title acts") and generally incorporates these nine additional practice act disciplines into the provisions relating to the three existing practice acts. 

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. Sunsets the Board and its executive officer on July 1, 2011, and permits DCA to assume its regulatory responsibilities as of that date unless legislation is enacted to extend the sunset date.

3. Recognizes three branches of engineering 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 "title authorities" (structural and soil).  Civil engineers may practice, or offer to practice, any engineering in connection with or supplementary to civil engineering studies or activities, as defined.  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.

4. Requires DCA to contract with an independent consultant to determine whether or not certain title acts should be eliminated, kept, or converted into practice acts.

        This bill:

1. In addition to civil, electrical and mechanical engineering, establishes agricultural, chemical, control system, fire protection, industrial, metallurgical, nuclear, petroleum, and traffic engineering as "practice acts" in California (as opposed to "title acts") and generally incorporates these nine additional practice act disciplines into the provisions relating to the three existing practice acts.  The bill provides that only those individuals licensed by the Board may practice in these branches of engineering.

2. Provides that it is a misdemeanor for any person not licensed by the Board, or exempted by law, to practice or offer to practice as an agricultural, chemical, control system, fire protection, industrial, metallurgical, nuclear, petroleum, or traffic engineer.  Also provides that it is a misdemeanor for any person to use the title of licensed or registered agricultural, chemical, control system, fire protection, industrial, metallurgical, nuclear, petroleum, or traffic engineer, or any other title that implies the person is practicing within one of these branches, unless the person is licensed by the Board.

3.  Defines the following branches of engineering in statute: agricultural, chemical, control system, fire protection, industrial, metallurgical, nuclear, petroleum, and traffic.

4. Provides that the professional practice of engineering in the branches and title authorities may overlap.  The scope of overlap shall be limited to an engineer's area of competency (as determined by education and experience) and to those activities which are incidental to practice in an engineer's branch of licensure.

5. Provides that the Board shall not be required to define in regulation permissible engineering work or specific tasks that may be in connection with and incidental to a professional engineer's work.

6. Provides that a professional engineer may practice engineering work only in the field or fields in which he or she is by education or experience competent and proficient.

SB 502, as introduced, Walters.  State agency Web sites: information.

   Existing law imposes specified duties on state governmental agencies and provides for public access to government records.

   This bill would require, by no later than January 1, 2010, each state department and agency to develop and operate a searchable Internet Web site, as defined.  The bill would also require the searchable Internet Web site to include specified information relating to each expenditure of state funds, as defined, made by that year, the ability of the user to view information in a format that may be downloaded and managed by the user, and the ability of users to provide input regarding the utility of, and recommendations for, improvements to the searchable Internet Web site..

   Vote: majority.  Appropriation: no.  Fiscal committee: yes.  State-mandated local program: no.

For other federal issues check out www.nspe.org  

ARRA Infrastructure Funds to California