Proposed Legislation
After consulting with many groups, the Board finalized proposed legislation that provides for a limited period of time a license pathway for individuals who hold an engineering technology degree and who have a certain number of years of experience. This is only one of the goals of the legislation. We invite you to review the proposed language on the Board’s Web site along with the “InfoSheet” that explains the changes being proposed. S. 633 is the Senate bill number; H. 3722 is the House bill.
Board member Mitchell Tibshrany worked closely with the Board of Trustees of South Carolina State University and President Hugine to reach a consensus on a fair and equitable alternative licensing procedure for engineering technology graduates. Please see Section 40-22-222 of the legislation for the proposed procedure.
Other changes proposed in the bill:
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Throughout the statute, the word “land” has been deleted to reflect the expansion of the practice of surveying to areas beyond the identification and marking of land boundaries. In certain instances, the word “land” is retained for clarity when describing land boundary surveying as opposed to other surveying activities.
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Clarifies the definition of “direct supervision,” “direct supervisory control,” “direct responsibility,” and similar terms
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Until June 30, 2020, provides for review of credentials by a committee of engineers to determine if work performed by engineering technology graduates is of sufficient rigor in its scope and depth that they can be deemed to meet established standards of engineering practice.
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Adds a license as “Emeritus” engineer and surveyor for individuals who retire.
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Adds a “Good Samaritan” clause (40-22-75).
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Increases the fines limit to $1,000 per violation and caps total fines at $20,000.
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Changes qualifications for EITs so that they may be certified immediately upon graduation .
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Creates a fund using a portion of renewal fees for the purpose of education and research (40-22-245).
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Allows firms to designate one employee licensed in S.C. as the professional in charge of the firm’s work in S.C. rather than requiring it to be a corporate officer or principal owner of the firm.
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Updates reference to International Code Series rather than Standard Building Code.
There are several small changes for clarity, updating and “clean up.” We welcome your comments by e-mail to Administrator Jan Simpson.