HB0018

HOUSE BILL 18

55th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2022

INTRODUCED BY

Miguel P. Garcia

AN ACT

RELATING TO LICENSURE; AMENDING THE DEGREE REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSURE AS A PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

SECTION 1. Section 61-23-14.1 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1993, Chapter 218, Section 12, as amended) is amended to read:

"61-23-14.1. LICENSURE AS A PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER--REQUIREMENTS.--

A. Licensure as a professional engineer may be either through examination or through endorsement or comity. In either case, an applicant shall file the appropriate application in which it shall be demonstrated that the applicant:

(1) is of good moral character and reputation; and

(2) has five references, three of whom shall be licensees practicing in the branch of engineering for which the applicant is applying and who have personal knowledge of the applicant's engineering experience and reputation. The use of non-licensed engineer references having personal knowledge of the applicant's engineering experience and reputation may be accepted by the board; provided that a satisfactory written explanation is given.

B. An applicant may be licensed through examination if the applicant can demonstrate the following:

(1) the applicant is certified as an engineer intern and has at least one of the following:

(a) received a bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline recognized by the board from a program accredited by the engineering accreditation commission or a program that fulfills the required content of the engineering education standard as defined by the national council of examiners for engineering and surveying and has at least four years of engineering experience subsequent to receiving the degree;

(b) received a bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline recognized by the board from a foreign educational institution where the program that was completed fulfills the required content of the engineering education standard as defined by the national council of examiners for engineering and surveying and has at least four years of engineering experience in the United States subsequent to receiving the degree;

(c) received a master's degree in an engineering discipline recognized by the board from a program accredited by the engineering accreditation commission or an institution that offers programs accredited by the engineering accreditation commission or that fulfills the required content of the engineering education standard as defined by the national council of examiners for engineering and surveying and has at least three years of engineering experience subsequent to receiving [the degree] a bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline recognized by the board from a program accredited by the engineering accreditation commission or an institution that offers programs accredited by the engineering accreditation commission or that fulfills the required content of the engineering education standard as defined by the national council of examiners for engineering and surveying;

(d) received a master's degree in an engineering discipline recognized by the board from a foreign educational institution where the program that was completed fulfills through evaluation the required curricular content and educational standards as defined by the national council of examiners for engineering and surveying and has at least three years of engineering experience in the United States subsequent to receiving [the degree] a bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline recognized by the board from a program accredited by the engineering accreditation commission or an institution that offers programs accredited by the engineering accreditation commission or that fulfills the required content of the engineering education standard as defined by the national council of examiners for engineering and surveying;

(e) received a doctorate degree in an engineering discipline recognized by the board from a board-approved engineering curriculum and has at least two years of engineering experience subsequent to receiving [the degree] a bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline recognized by the board from a program accredited by the engineering accreditation commission or an institution that offers programs accredited by the engineering accreditation commission or that fulfills the required content of the engineering education standard as defined by the national council of examiners for engineering and surveying; or

(f) at least six years of board-approved engineering experience after graduation from a school offering a board-approved, four-year engineering technology curriculum accredited by the technology accreditation commission of the accreditation board for engineering and technology, including the two years for engineer intern certification; or

(2) the applicant is not certified as an engineer intern and has at least one of the following:

(a) received a bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline recognized by the board from a program accredited by the engineering accreditation commission or a program that fulfills the required content of the engineering education standard as defined by the national council of examiners for engineering and surveying and has twelve years of engineering experience subsequent to receiving the degree;

(b) received a master's degree in an engineering discipline recognized by the board from a program accredited by the engineering accreditation commission or an institution that offers programs accredited by the engineering accreditation commission or that fulfills the required content of the engineering education standard as defined by the national council of examiners for engineering and surveying and has at least six years of engineering experience subsequent to receiving the degree; or

(c) received a doctorate degree in an engineering discipline recognized by the board from a board-approved engineering curriculum and has at least four years of engineering experience subsequent to receiving the degree.

C. Upon successfully completing the examination, required experience and all the requirements as noted in this section, the applicant shall be eligible to be licensed as a professional engineer upon action of the board.

D. An applicant may be licensed by endorsement or comity if the applicant:

(1) is currently licensed as an engineer in the District of Columbia, another state, a territory or a possession of the United States; provided that the licensure does not conflict with the provisions of the Engineering and Surveying Practice Act and that the standards required by the licensure or the applicant's qualifications equaled or exceeded the licensure standards in New Mexico at the time the applicant was initially licensed;

(2) is currently licensed as an engineer in a foreign country and can demonstrate, to the board's satisfaction, evidence that the licensure was based on standards that equal or exceed those currently required for licensure by the Engineering and Surveying Practice Act and can satisfactorily demonstrate to the board competence in current engineering standards and procedures; or

(3) is currently licensed as an engineer in the District of Columbia, another state, a territory or a possession of the United States; provided that the applicant:

(a) has been actively licensed for the contiguous ten years immediately preceding application to

New Mexico;

(b) has not received any form of disciplinary action related to the practice of engineering or professional conduct from any jurisdiction within the five years preceding application to New Mexico; and

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