Fiscal impact reports (FIRs) are prepared by the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) for standing finance committees of the NM Legislature. The LFC does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of these reports if they are used for other purposes.

 

Current FIRs (in HTML & Adobe PDF formats) are available on the NM Legislative Website (legis.state.nm.us).  Adobe PDF versions include all attachments, whereas HTML versions may not.  Previously issued FIRs and attachments may also be obtained from the LFC in Suite 101 of the State Capitol Building North.

 

 

F I S C A L    I M P A C T    R E P O R T

 

 

 

SPONSOR

Garcia, MP

DATE TYPED

2/16/2004

HB

HM 27

 

SHORT TITLE

Separation of Engineers & Surveyors Board

SB

 

 

 

ANALYST

Geisler

 

APPROPRIATION

 

Appropriation Contained

Estimated Additional Impact

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY04

FY05

FY04

FY05

 

 

 

See Narrative

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

 

Relates to:  HB 372

 

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

 

SUMMARY

 

Synopsis of Bill

 

The memorial requests that the legislative finance committee investigate separating the state board of licensure for professional engineers and surveyors into two separate boards and report their findings to the first session of the forty-seventh legislature

 

Significant Issues

 

There are currently 428 active professional surveyors in state.  Concerns have been expressed about a shortage of surveyors in the state and whether or not the membership of the state board of licensure for professional engineers and surveyors is properly balanced between surveyors and engineers.    

 

The board reports they are taking the following actions to address the shortage of surveyors:

 

1.      compiling numbers of licensed professional surveyors by counties to determine whether the total declining number of surveyors is uniform throughout the state or certain areas are seeing a disproportionate share of the loss;

2.      assigning the rules and regulations committee of the board the review of the statutory licensing requirements (four-year degree in surveying) and the impact it has on New Mexico and out-of-state candidates, as well as drafting recommendations of other viable licensing avenues;

3.      reviewing the surveying membership of the board to determine if the surveying profession is being adequately represented by the board;

4.      working closely with other entities, e.g. NMSU to obtain feedback from surveying faculty and students to determine if graduates are leaving the state upon graduation and if so the reasons.  The board is also keeping close contact with the New Mexico Professional Surveyors since they are surveying their professional surveyor membership to find out if they:  (1) perceive a shortage of surveyors within New Mexico, (2) whether they believe the economic principles of supply and demand work for or against New Mexico surveyors, (3) whether they believe wages/salaries are satisfactory in NM, (4) whether the degree requirement helped or hurt surveying in NM, and (5) whether or not the licensing requirements should be relaxed;

5.      identifying ways to promote the surveying profession

 

RELATIONSHIP

 

Relates to HB 372, which proposes to increase the number of surveyors on the board to five to equal the number of engineers on the board.

 

 

GGG/yr:dm