September/October 2018

PE Report
Nevada Licensing Board Off the Chopping Block

In a victory for professional engineers, a Nevada legislative subcommittee has recommended no changes to the Nevada State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.

The subcommittee’s decision to maintain the status quo may not seem like a victory to some. It comes at a time, however, when state legislators are looking critically at occupational licensing and, in many cases, recommending that the free market is the best form of regulation.

Over the last two years, NSPE has taken a strong stand to ensure that legislators, during their regulatory reform discussions, do not categorize PEs with occupations that have no direct impact on the public health, safety, and welfare.

In Nevada, NSPE proactively responded to the regulatory review threat by joining forces with the Nevada Society of Professional Engineers. Beginning in January, the organizations worked to ensure that the licensing board would not be compromised by the review.

The Sunset Subcommittee of the Legislative Commission was tasked with reviewing state boards and determining whether they should be terminated, modified, consolidated with another board, or continued. The commission reviewed 23 professional and occupational licensing boards but recommended to abolish only the homeopathic board.

In a letter to the chair of the Sunset Subcommittee, NSPE President Tom Roberts, P.E., F.NSPE, and Nevada Society President Craig Sisco, P.E., explained how engineering licensure and the licensing board are critical to protecting the public as well as the state’s economic competitiveness. Professional engineers and engineering firms bring many millions of dollars to the state. Moreover, as all states and territories require the licensing of professional engineers, Nevada’s licensing system is necessary to ensure the state can continue to attract qualified professional engineers and engineering firms.

Roberts and Sisco also pointed out that the licensing board had partnered with the Wyoming licensing board in 2017 to forge a first-of-its-kind pact to increase the ease of mobility for professional engineers. The agreement allows for a Model Law engineer, as designated by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying, who applies for licensure in either state to be licensed in the other state. North Dakota is in line to join the pact, and the Nevada board is encouraging other states to participate.

NSPE and the Nevada Society will continue to actively support the Nevada Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors in protecting the public health, safety, and welfare. This past year, the Society has worked to help protect the integrity of the PE license and respond effectively to threats to occupational licensure in other states, including Louisiana and Ohio.