House Status:
Senate Status:
Senate Status:
Minutes for SB366 - Committee on Commerce
Short Title
Expanding the expedited occupational licensure provisions for military servicemembers and spouses to all license applicants.
Minutes Content for Tue, Feb 18, 2020
Chairperson Lynn continued the meeting on SB 366 and recognized Larry Karns, Kansas State Board of Technical Professions, who presented testimony in opposition to the bill. (Attachment 5)
The mission of the Board of Technical Professions is to ensure the health, safety, property and welfare of the people of Kansas by licensing and regulating the professional practices of engineering, architecture, land surveying, geology, and landscape architecture in Kansas. The Board accomplishes its mission by ensuring these professional activities are carried out only by individuals who meet qualifications prescribed by state statute and the Board's rules and regulations. SB 366 attempts to remedy a problem that does not exist for architects, engineers, geologists, land surveyors and landscape architects in Kansas. For example, over 70 percent of the architects licensed in Kansas hold reciprocal licenses. Applicants are not required to be Kansas residents or intend to move to Kansas to become licensed.
When an application for reciprocity is received with their accompanying record, if their record is in order, the applicant is granted a full license to practice in Kansas, generally within two weeks. For those who do not have a record from one of the examination's entities or whose record is deficient, the bill's requirement to license within 10 days is not feasible. The bill shifts the burden from the applicant to provide proof that they are qualified to practice in Kansas to the Board to prove that the applicant does not have substantially equivalent qualifications as we require. The bill appears to defer the determination of the appropriate standards to protect the public in Kansas to the governing bodies of other states.
Mr. Karns said this bill is not necessary for our professions and the most effective remedy would be to exclude the State Board of Technical Professions from the bill's applicability. If the bill is enacted, time would be needed to adopt rules and regulations to define applicable terms such as "a completed application" to start the process.
Chairperson Lynn invited Mr. Karns to continue his testimony at the next Committee meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 9:27 a.m. The next meeting is scheduled for February 19, 2020.
