Bill Text: NJ A1754 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Mandates professional engineers to complete continuing professional competency requirements during each biennial licensure period.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-12 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Regulated Professions Committee [A1754 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-A1754-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
214th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2010 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN
District 15 (Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Mandates professional engineers to complete continuing professional competency requirements during each biennial licensure period.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act concerning continuing professional competency requirements for professional engineers, amending P.L.1983, c.337 and supplementing P.L.1938, c.342 (C.45:8-27 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. (New section) The State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors shall require each person licensed as a professional engineer, as a condition for biennial licensure pursuant to P.L.1938, c.342 (C.45:8-27 et seq.) and P.L.1972, c.108 (C.45:1-7), to complete not more than 24 credits of continuing professional competency relating to the practice of professional engineering, as provided in section 2 of this act, during each biennial registration period.
2. (New section) a. The board shall:
(1) Establish standards for continuing professional competency in professional engineering, including the subject matter and content of courses of study, which shall be in conformity with a national model, such as that of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying;
(2) Approve educational programs offering credit towards the continuing professional competency in engineering requirements; and
(3) Approve other equivalent educational programs, including, but not limited to, meetings of constituents and components of professional engineering associations and other appropriate professional and technical associations when an engineering topic is presented as a principal part of the program, examinations, papers, publications, technical presentations, teaching and research appointments, technical exhibits, management, leadership or ethics courses, and correspondence courses on engineering topics where a final examination is required and shall establish procedures for the issuance of credit upon satisfactory proof of the completion of these programs.
b. In the case of education courses and programs, each hour of instruction shall be equivalent to one credit.
c. Two of the 24 credits of continuing professional competency required pursuant to section 1 of this act shall be in professional practice ethics.
3. (New section) The board shall:
a. Establish procedures for monitoring compliance with the professional engineering continuing professional competency requirements; and
b. Establish procedures to evaluate and grant approval to providers of continuing professional competency in professional engineering.
4. (New section) The board may, in its discretion, waive requirements for continuing professional competency in professional engineering on an individual basis for reasons of hardship such as illness or disability, service in the armed forces of the United States of America, retirement of the license, or other good cause.
5. (New section) The board shall not require completion of professional engineering continuing professional competency credits for initial registration.
6. (New section) a. The board shall not require completion of professional engineering continuing professional competency credits for any licensure periods commencing within 12 months of the effective date of this act.
b. The board shall require completion of professional engineering continuing professional competency credits on a pro rata basis for any licensure periods commencing more than 12 but less than 24 months following the effective date of this act.
7. (New section) The board may accept as proof of completion of continuing professional competency program credits:
a. documentation submitted by a person licensed as a professional engineer or by any entity offering a continuing professional competency program approved by the board pursuant to section 2 of this act; or
b. any other proof acceptable to the board.
8. (New section) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 1 of P.L.1993, c.39 (C.45:8-35.2) and section 1 of this act, the board shall require each person licensed as both a professional engineer and a land surveyor, as a condition for biennial certification, to complete not less than 36 credits of continuing professional competency relating to the practice of professional engineering and land surveying, with not less than 12 credits to be completed in professional engineering and not less than 12 credits to be completed in land surveying.
9. (New section) The board shall allow a professional engineer to carry over a maximum of 12 continuing professional competency credits to the next biennial licensure period.
10. Section 18 of P.L.1983, c.337 (C.45:3A-15) is amended to read as follows:
18. a. Except as provided in subsections b. and c. of this section, two years from the effective date of P.L.2008, c.77 (C.45:3A-16 et al.) and every two years thereafter, each person licensed to practice landscape architecture in this State shall certify to the board, upon a form issued and distributed by the board, that the person has attended, or participated in not less than 24 hours of continuing education in landscape architecture as follows: college postgraduate courses, lectures, seminars, or workshops, as approved by the board or any other evidence of continuing education which the board may approve.
b. Two years from the effective date of P.L.2008, c.77 (C.45:3A-16 et al.) and every two years thereafter, each architect who is licensed to practice landscape architecture pursuant to subsection d. of section 11 of P.L.1983, c.337 (C.45:3A-8), shall certify to the board, upon a form issued and distributed by the board, that the person has attended or participated in not less than 12 hours of continuing education in landscape architecture as follows: college postgraduate courses, lectures, seminars, or workshops, as approved by the board or any other evidence of continuing education which the board may approve.
c. Two years from the effective date of P.L.2008, c.77 (C.45:3A-16 et al.) and every two years thereafter, each professional engineer who is licensed to practice landscape architecture pursuant to subsection d. of section 11 of P.L.1983, c.337 (C.45:3A-8), shall certify to the board, upon a form issued and distributed by the board, that the person has attended or participated in not less than [24] 12 hours of continuing education in landscape architecture as follows: college postgraduate courses, lectures, seminars, or workshops, as approved by the board or any other evidence of continuing education which the board may approve.
(cf: P.L.2008, c.77, s.15)
11. This act shall take effect on the 360th day following enactment, but the board may take such anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill requires professional engineers to complete not more than 24 credits of continuing professional competency relating to the practice of professional engineering, two of which credits shall be in professional practice ethics, during each biennial licensure period to be eligible for renewal of their licenses. In the case of education courses or programs, each credit shall be equivalent to one hour of instruction. The State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors shall establish standards for continuing professional competency in professional engineering and these standards shall be in conformity with a national model, such as that of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying.
Waivers of the required continuing professional competency may be granted by the board on an individual basis due to hardship or other good cause. Those professional engineers whose first renewal date occurs within 12 months after the enactment of the bill would not have to complete the required professional engineering continuing professional competency credits to renew their license. Those whose first renewal falls more than 12 but less than 24 months after the enactment of the bill would be required to complete the required professional engineering continuing professional competency credits on a pro rata basis.
Notwithstanding the 24 credit continuing professional competency requirement for professional engineers and land surveyors, each person licensed as both a professional engineer and a land surveyor, as a condition for biennial certification, must complete not less than 36 credits of continuing professional competency relating to the practice of professional engineering and land surveying, with not less than 12 credits to be completed in professional engineering and not less than 12 credits to be completed in land surveying.
The bill also provides that each professional engineer who is licensed to practice landscape architecture, as a condition for biennial certification, must complete not less than 12 hours of continuing education in landscape architecture.
The board shall allow a professional engineer to carry over a maximum of 12 continuing professional competency credits to the next biennial licensure period.
