COMMISSIONER’S MESSAGE
by Stanley J. Botts
My first quarter at DLLR has been both exciting and challenging. I have attempted to make an appearance at all of the Design Board meetings and hope to complete the cycle in coming weeks. I want to announce the arrival of Daniel Parr as Executive Director of the Professional Licensing Boards. Dan comes to us with a varied background, with a twenty year focus in technology consulting to local government, specifically in the area of GIS systems. You will be hearing directly from Dan through this newsletter and other outreach efforts in the future. Also, there is no better time to express our gratitude for the outstanding job Pamela Edwards has done in the interim as the Acting Executive Director. Pamela has returned to her regular position as the Assistant Director. I am happy to have Dan and Pamela as well as their entire team as we collectively work with the Design Boards to attain their goals.
With the exams for Engineers and Land Surveyors having been completed in October, staff has been busy focusing on that critical task. We have filled the Exam Coordinator position with Ms. Karen Wright. Pam Edwards and she did an excellent job of administering the October exams to more than 600 candidates. We are also working to issue a Request for Proposal for private sector administration of the Engineering, Surveying and Landscape Architecture Licensing Exams in the future and hope to get it on the street for responses shortly. Dan has also started to review all the positions in the unit for the accuracy of job descriptions and classifications.
I have met with Dan and the staff to express my appreciation for the work they have done, continue to do and I expect they will do going forward. We have a dedicated and committed team and are taking a look at our processes and procedures to make sure we are working effectively and efficiently to serve the citizens and professionals of the State of Maryland. We are looking to see where we can make improvements in the areas of processes, technology and outreach, just to name a few. I would also be remiss if I did not recognize the efforts of the thirty five men and women who serve as members of the five Boards. I have been impressed by their leadership and commitment to assuring that Maryland licenses qualified design professionals and that once licensed, those individuals practice within the bounds of applicable laws and regulations.
I look forward to ongoing communication with the over 22,000 individual design professionals and firms that are regulated through the five Design Boards. Please feel free to contact me at with your thoughts and concerns.
A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
With only three months of experience as Executive Director, I am impressed at how well the Design Boards work---I am also firmly convinced that it can be done much, much better. A strong complement of volunteer Board Members and a great staff make things work. I believe that they can do more with less effort if we apply good consistent management and well planned systems—digital and manual.
A big part of good management isunderstanding how things are working. Board Members and staff have been very forthcoming with ideas and suggestions. I think we need to hear from the professionals who self-fund our operations what it is that you think should be improved. This is not done as a flip request; it is a significant part of a plan to move quickly on those things that can be changed quickly and to start those that will require more time.
The interaction between the Boards and the professionals we license is too limited and klutzy. We are in the middle of developing a Communication Plan and we need to hear from you about what you need to know about policies, regulations, and issues before the Boards. We need to know about how your interaction with the Boards works or does not. We know there are weak points and convoluted processes. They are targets for action. We need to hear from you to know what your priorities are and how we can be more effective and efficient in how we protect the health, safety and well-being of people in Maryland. For example: what are the most effective media for communicating with licensees? Are the forms and systems you use easy or hard to use? Can you navigate the Website easily? Does the format or layout keep you from using it? Are there significant issues that the Boards should address that you see everyday? Are Code Officials and local government staff aware of the statutes and regulations?
If you would email me at , I promise to review your email and respond with where we are in addressing the issue. I will try to put your comments into some summary form in the next By Design, so you know what is on our agenda and the opportunities and obstacles we face in resolving each issue.
I look forward to working with everyone.
Dan Parr
ARCHITECTURE
VOTE PASSED ON IDP/A.R.E. TIMING ISSUE
Almost a year after its Sept. 27, 2006 public hearing to debate the topic, the Board of Architects voted to adopt the ruling of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) that Maryland Architectural Registration Examination (A.R.E.) candidates can take the examination while still enrolled in the Intern Development Program (IDP).
Opposition to the revised regulation cited the ability of candidates to recall newly learned information and a possible three to five year wait for potential test takers as reasons to vote against the change.
The final ruling updates the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR). The change should go into effect in April 2008 after a period of time for additional public comment.
REMINDER TO ARCHITECTS
In compliance withCode of Maryland Regulations 09.21.02.04, architects are required to sign and seal drawings, similar to the amendment to the regulation for professional engineers. The certification for architectural drawings is as follows: “Professional Certification. I certify that these documents were prepared or approved by me, and that I am a duly licensed architect under the laws of the State of Maryland, license number ______, Expiration Date: ______.” Titleblock, certification, seal, and signature shall appear in close proximity to each other.
ENGINEERING
FALL 2007 PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER RECOGNITION EVENT HELD
The Maryland Board for Professional Engineers in conjunction with the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers (MDSPE) held the fall 2007 Professional Engineers Recognition Event on September 14, 2007 at the Miller State Senate Building in Annapolis, Maryland.
The eventbegan withgreetings from Governor Martin O’Malley andintroductory remarks from David S. Thaler, MDSPE president. Robert Summer, Ph.D., Deputy Secretary of the Environment was also on hand to provide remarks.
Robert G. Sebastian, P.E., presented a check to the Johns Hopkins University Engineering Department from the newly created J. Jay Pecora Memorial Scholarship Fund. Pecora was a professional engineer being posthumously honored with the scholarship fund established in his name.
Maryland engineering license certificates were presented to ten individuals by Vice Chair of the Board for Professional Engineers, Howard C. “Skip” Harclerode. The finale to the event was the Order of the Engineer Induction Ceremony, the oath taken by professional engineers and presentation of an engineer’s ring to each candidate.
CHANGE OF SEAL REQUIREMENTS SUCCESSFUL
The initial results of the regulation change that requires professional engineers to identify their license and its expiration date has generated a bumper crop of requests for reinstatement.
Effective July 2, 2007, the Board for Professional Engineers requires a professional engineer to include the following statement to be stamped in or near the title block and seal when it is used on plans or documents:
“Professional Certification. I hereby certify that these documents were prepared or approved by me, and that I am a duly licensed professional engineer under the laws of the State of Maryland, License No. ______, Expiration Date: ______.” The document, certification, seal, and signature shall appear close to one other.
Code of Maryland Regulations 09.23.03.10
This has had the desired effect of bringing to many engineers’ attention the fact that their license has expired. It is believed that this will also be a reminder to those who miss or forget about receiving a renewal notice that is sent out 60 days prior to expiration.
LIMITED LICENSE LAW IN EFFECT
Effective October 1, 2007, HB-413, Repeal of Authority to Issue Limited Licenses, now prohibits the issuance of a temporary license to practice engineering for a specific project. This means that temporary engineering licensees will no longer be issued by the Board for Professional Engineers.
PHILADELPHIA HOSTS NCEES ANNUAL MEETING
By Pastor Farinas, Board for Professional Engineers
The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) held its annual business meeting August 22-25, 2007 in Philadelphia, Pa. Representing the state of Maryland were Professional Engineers board members Steven A. Arndt, P.E., Howard C. “Skip” Harclerode, II, P.E. and Pastor Farinas, P.E. As the previous year’s meeting in Anchorage, the annual meeting was a solid success, with members participating in workshops, voting on motions and networking with other Council members.
At the first business session of the meeting, Herbert Shivers, Ph.D., P.E. of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) delivered the keynote address to kick off the annual meeting. Dr. Shivers spoke about the role engineers play in the day-to-day operations of the Marshall Space Flight Center. In addition, he provided an exciting multimedia update on NASA’s future plans, which includes the Constellation program and Ares spacecraft as well as key steps in the process of putting human beings back on the moon and eventually Mars.
During Thursday’s meeting, the Nevada Board distributed a new motion on the Official Motion From proposing “rescinding the B.S. plus 30 requirements for engineering licensure, a Uniform Procedures and Legislative Guidelines (UPLG) Committee motion that the Council passed in Anchorage during last year’s annual meeting and is set to go into effect in 2015. During Friday’s meeting, this floor motion was rejected by the Council, as the Council indicated that it wanted to continue to move toward heightened educational requirements for engineering licensure.
A Structural Exam Task Force motion to create a uniform structural exam passed by a large margin. The motion proposed charging the Examination for Professional Engineers (EPE) Committee with modernizing the format of the Structural Engineering (SEI and SEII Exams to create a single examination for Member Boards that grant structural engineering licensure. This examination would have two eight-hour components and would be put into use by April 2011.
A motion was passed to print separate books for P.E. depth modules (Civil, Electrical and Mechanical) and F.E. afternoon modules. The motion also called for printing three versions of the morning portions of the Civil, Electrical and Mechanical P.E. exams to deter copying/collusion. The changes to the Civil P.E. exam will be implemented in October 2009 and the changes to the F.E. and P.E. Electrical and Mechanical exams will go into effect in April 2010.
The Governance Task Force to combine the Constitution and the Bylaws into one document for the Council’s consideration at the 2008 Annual Meeting passed by a large margin. A non-binding straw poll concerning an election at large for the president-elect position failed.
The Council passed a Board of Directors motion to approve NCEES serving as the primary sponsor of National Engineers Week with a projected cost of $250,000. A second motion to establish a Washington, D.C. based satellite office was defeated.
The Council passed four UPLG Committee motions. The first revised the Model Rules definitions of Model Law Engineer and Model Law Structural Engineer to include the B.S. plus 30 requirement beginning in 2015. Motions presented by the EPP Committee to revise various Exam Development and Exam Administration policies passed, with the motion authorizing the Council’s Board of Directors (rather than the Council as a whole) to contract to provide NCEES examinations to sanctioned foreign licensing bodies failed.
A Western Zone resolution urging the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) to stem the decline of required credit hours for engineering degrees at accredited institutions passed with a solid majority.
The motion to strike expert testimony from practice definitions presented by the Law Enforcement Committee calling for the removal of the term “expert technical testimony” from the Model Law definitions of engineering and surveying failed.
INTERIOR DESIGN
NCIDQ EXAM DATES AND APPLICATION DEADLINESDecember 10, 2007 / NCIDQ Application Deadline for the Spring 2008 Exam (for first-time applicants only)
April 4-5, 2008 / Spring 2008 NCIDQ Examination
June 10, 2008 / NCIDQ Application Deadline for the Fall 2008 Exam (for first-time applicants only)
October 3-4, 2008 / Fall 2008 NCIDQ Examination
For more information about the NCIDQ application process, contact NCIDQ at (202) 721-0220 or go to For information on American Society of Interior Designers Self-Testing Exercises for Pre-Professionals (ASID STEP) preparation courses, visit
LAND SURVEYING
LAND SURVEYING
BROCHURES DISTRIBUTED TO POTENTIALLICENSEES
Brochures created as part of the Design Boards outreach program are being distributed to the public. Land Surveying: The Career Opportunity of a Lifetime and Understanding Professional Land Surveyors’ Licensure have been printed and are making their way into the hands of potential land surveyors’ licensees.
A supply of each of the land surveyors’ brochures were given to James Whitehead of the Maryland Society for Surveyors to assist the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR) in getting the word out about land surveying as a career. In addition, additional brochures were sent to the DLLR One-Stop Job Markets in Anne Arundel, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George’s and Wicomico Counties to be distributed in waiting areas and at job and career fairs.
Two additional brochures, Maryland Design Boards Complaint Process and Understanding Maryland Professional Engineers’ Licensureare also being distributed through the office of the Professional Design Boards to walk-in customers and telephone inquiries. For more information about obtaining any of the aforementioned brochures for single copy or group distribution, please contact Janine McDonald at or (410) 230-6215.
DESIGN BOARDS INFO
DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS
07 – PE-03 – Pursuant to the terms of the Consent Order dated August 22, 2007, John D. Elder’s professional engineer’s license was SUSPENDED for a period of 120 days and he was FINED $2,000 for violation of Section 14-317(a)(1)(i) and (iii), Business Occupations and Professions Article, Annotated Code of Maryland, for failing to disclose criminal convictions on professional examination and license renewal applications.
04-PE-13 – Carl D. Jones’ professional engineer’s license was SUSPENDED for a period of 180 days and he was FINED $5000 for violation of Section 14-317(a)(1)(iv) and (vi), Business Occupations and Professions Article, Annotated Code of Maryland, and COMAR 09.23.03.01, 09.23.03.02B and C, and 09.23.03.09A for signing and sealing documents without personal inspection of the project either prior to the start of or during construction or repair of the pier-footing, for failing to provide sufficient supervision, and for failing to ensure the accuracy of information contained in the reports that were used in connection with the issuance of occupancy permit.
Appling Online Makes All the DifferenceLess than 80% of Professional License applications are done online. Even though the online process is more secure and almost 10 times faster, 20% of applicants submit a paper form. The difference in processing time is the difference between digital and analog---manual forms require more data entry, more paper file management, and more letters or phone calls if there are problems. If time and security are important, apply and renew online.