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(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Regulation and Licensing Department

SUMMARY

     Synopsis of Amendment

House Bill 779 amendments sponsored by the House Business and Industry Committee make three technical amendments on a legal citation and two minor language changes that do not impact the proposed legislation.

Synopsis of Original Bill

The primary purpose of House Bill 779 is to amend and clarify certain provisions of the Landscape Architects Act to conform with current professional licensing practices. In addition, some amendments have been added to update and redefine the scope of practice, licensing requirements for licensure and board member qualifications. This act has been essentially unchanged since 1986.

Significant Issues

According to the Regulation and Licensing Department, the major provisions of this bill accomplish the following:

· Clarifies and redefines the definition of landscape architecture

· Deletes the exemption that would allow unlicensed persons in a related field from practicing landscape architecture

· Adds a provision that would exempt any person from the provisions of the Landscape Architects Act associated with a single family residence, multi-family residential complex of four units or less, unless part of a larger complex

· Removes the requirement that professional board members must have ten or more years of experience in the profession in order to serve as a board member

· Adds a requirement that professional board members shall be registered as a landscape architect for at least five years

· Updates the "Joint Practice Committee" requirement to conform with identical language as used by the Board of Examiners for Architects and the state Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors

· Removes the outdated "grandfather" language

· Adds a provision that applicants for licensure with ten years experience in a landscape architecture may count a baccalaureate degree "in a related field" in lieu of two years of practice experience or a masters degree "in a related field" may be accepted in lieu of three years of practical experience

· Removes outdated language in which it would allow supervision of a person who becomes a landscape architect within one year from the effective date of the Landscape Architect Act

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

Drafting and promulgation of rules relating to a number of statutory changes will produce administrative duties relating to public rules hearings, filing of regulations. These activities will be short-term and the current part-time staff will manage the additional workload.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

The Regulation and Licensing Department provided the following recommendations for amendments:

Page 9, line 4, add period after architecture. Line 7, delete "provided that" and start new sentence with "a masters. . . . ." This will clarify the intent of HB 779.

Page 9, line 16, add period after architecture Line 18, delete "provided that" and start new sentence with "a masters. . . . ." Proposed for clarity.

MFV/njw