The House Economic Matters Committee voted unfavorably on HB 752 which would have required professional engineers to review government engineering documents, as opposed to the current norm of using educated and experienced unlicensed engineers or technical staff. MACo opposed this bill as it would be costly and unnecessary for local governments.

From MACo’s written testimony:

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.

The cross-file SB 738 was heard in the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee on March 18, 2015. The Committee has not taken action on the bill.

For more on MACo’s 2015 legislation, visit the legislative database.