California Assembly Bill AB645 Introduced / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 645INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Niello FEBRUARY 25, 2009 An act to amend Sections 6795, 6799, 8801, and 8805 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to professions and vocations, and making an appropriation therefor. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST 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. Vote: majority. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 6795 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read: 6795. Certificates of registration as a professional engineer, and certificates of authority, shall be valid for a period of  two   four  years from the assigned date of renewal.  Biennial   Quadrennial  renewals shall be staggered on a monthly basis. To renew an unexpired certificate, the certificate holder shall, on or before the date of expiration indicated on the renewal receipt, apply for renewal on a form prescribed by the board, and pay the renewal fee prescribed by this chapter. SEC. 2. Section 6799 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read: 6799. The amount of the fees prescribed by this chapter shall be fixed by the board in accordance with the following schedule: (a) The fee for filing each application for licensure as a professional engineer and each application for authority level designation at not more than  four   eight  hundred dollars  ($400)   ($800)  , and for each application for certification as an engineer-in-training at not more than  one   two  hundred dollars  ($100)   ($200)  . (b) The temporary authorization fee for a professional engineer at not more than 25 percent of the application fee in effect on the date of application. (c) The renewal fee for each branch of professional engineering in which licensure is held, and the renewal fee for each authority level designation held, at no more than the professional engineer application fee currently in effect. (d) The fee for a retired license at not more than 50 percent of the professional engineer application fee in effect on the date of application. (e) The delinquency fee at not more than 50 percent of the renewal fee in effect on the date of reinstatement. (f) The board shall establish by regulation an appeal fee for examination. The regulation shall include provisions for an applicant to be reimbursed the appeal fee if the appeal results in passage of examination. The fee charged shall be no more than the costs incurred by the board. (g) All other document fees are to be set by the board by rule. Applicants wishing to be examined in more than one branch of engineering shall be required to pay the additional fee for each examination after the first. SEC. 3. Section 8801 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read: 8801. Licenses issued under this chapter expire every  two   four  years, if not renewed.  Biennial   Quadrennial  renewals shall be staggered on a quarterly basis. To renew an unexpired license the licenseholder shall on or before the date of expiration indicated on the renewal receipt, apply for renewal on a form prescribed by the board, and pay the renewal fee prescribed by this chapter. SEC. 4. Section 8805 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read: 8805. The amount of the fees prescribed by this chapter shall be fixed by the board in accordance with the following schedule: (a) The fee for filing each application for licensure as a land surveyor at not more than  four   eight  hundred dollars  ($400)   ($800)  , and for each application for certification as a land surveyor-in-training (LSIT) at not more than  one  two  hundred dollars  ($100)   ($200)  . (b) The renewal fee for a land surveyor at not more than the application fee. (c) The fee for a retired license at not more than 50 percent of the professional land surveyor application fee in effect on the date of application. (d) The delinquency fee at not more than 50 percent of the renewal fee in effect on the date of reinstatement. (e) The board shall establish by regulation an appeal fee for examination. The regulation shall include provisions for an applicant to be reimbursed the appeal fee if the appeal results in passage of examination. The fee shall be no more than the costs incurred by the board. (f) All other document fees are to be set by the board by rule.