March/April 2018

PE Report
NSPE, Nevada Society Stand Up for State Licensing Board

NSPE and the Nevada Society of Professional Engineers are teaming up to combat yet another licensure threat to the state.

The Nevada State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors is currently under scrutiny by the Nevada Sunset Subcommittee of the Legislative Commission. The subcommittee is reviewing the board and 25 others to determine whether changes need to be made, including terminations, modifications, and consolidations.

“The Nevada Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors is the mainstay of engineering licensure in the state and is critical to the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare; Nevada’s economic competitiveness; and comity with all other states,” NSPE President Tom Roberts, P.E., F.NSPE, and Nevada Society of Professional Engineers President Craig Sisco, P.E., wrote in a joint letter to the subcommittee chair. “We strongly urge the commission to recommend in its final report that no changes be made to the structure or status of the board.”

NSPE and its state societies are combating licensure threats across the country. Just last year, Nevada officials attempted to pass a bill that sought to establish the “least restrictive means” of regulating an occupation, virtually eliminating licensure requirements for certain professions. Legislators dropped the bill after a coordinated response from NSPE and the Nevada Society.

NSPE is actively monitoring and responding to licensure threats. So far, the Society has identified 26 states where similar legislation, regulations, or executive orders have been introduced, signed, and/or passed. Although much of the legislation does not specifically target professional engineers, by opposing occupational licensure in general, the broad attacks sow confusion about the importance of engineering licensure and its role in protecting the public.

Read updates on licensure threats.