MACo Policy Analyst Natasha Mehu testified to the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee on March 18, 2015 in opposition to SB 738, Professional Engineers- Responsible Charge- Review and Approval of Engineering Documents. This bill requires professional engineers to review government engineering documents, as opposed to the current norm of using educated and experienced unlicensed engineers or technical staff. This would be costly and unnecessary for local governments.

The written testimony explains:

This bill has substantial and costly impacts on the operation of local governments. Counties employ engineers for a wide-range of projects, including code compliance, zoning ordinance requirements, and road and sewer work projects. The majority of review staff are unlicensed engineers who work effectively and safely under the supervision of professional engineers. These engineers are hardworking and qualified with the requisite skills to perform their duties, though they are not professional engineers.

For more on MACo’s 2015 legislation, visit the Legislative Database.