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AIA, NCARB Help Launch New Coalition to Represent Complex Professions and Licensing Boards

8/12/2019

AIA, NCARB Help Launch New Coalition to Represent Complex Professions and Licensing Boards

Architects, Registration Boards, and Others join effort to ensure a unified voice for professions in growing debate around licensure, regulation, and public safety

Washington, DC – The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) are among several organizations who have helped found the Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing (ARPL) — a new coalition of technical professions focused on educating policymakers and the public about the importance of rigorous professional licensing standards.

ARPL is a unique coalition that brings together professional organizations and their registration boards at a time when there is significant concern over the appropriate level of licensing required by law. The coalition was formed to ensure their voices are heard by policymakers and the public amid the growing debate around licensing.

“NCARB and AIA may approach the licensing debate from different perspectives but we fundamentally agree that rigorous standards must be maintained in order to protect the public we both serve,” said NCARB CEO Michael J. Armstrong. “Complex professions are at risk of being swept up in broad calls to reduce licensing requirements for occupations and vocations. It is important for us to work with other technical professions to ensure public safety isn’t compromised by broad brush deregulatory efforts.

“When an architect designs a hospital or a school, the public must have confidence in its safety and structural integrity,” said AIA EVP/CEO Robert Ivy, FAIA. “The best way to maintain the public’s confidence is to continue to require that architects demonstrate rigorous and ongoing education, examination, and experience. Attempts to weaken or undermine professional licensing requirements for architects not only harm our profession, but could potentially endanger public health, safety, and welfare.”

The formation of the Alliance reflects mutual interest between regulatory organizations and their professional society counterparts in making the case for reasonable regulation. Although the regulatory associations’ mission is the protection of the public, and the professional societies are the voices of their respective professions, recent trends and challenges in the regulatory and legislative environment have called for these groups to proactively engage together in the narrative around the importance of reasonable regulation and licensing.

In addition to AIA and NCARB, members of the ARPL include the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB), National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) and National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).

You can learn more about ARPL and the importance of professional licensing by visiting the group’s newly-launched website http://www.responsiblelicensing.org.

About NCARB

The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards’ membership is made up of the architectural licensing boards of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. NCARB, in collaboration with these boards, facilitates the licensure and credentialing of architects to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public.

To achieve these goals, NCARB works with its Member Boards and volunteers to develop and facilitate standards for licensure, including the national examination and experience program. NCARB also recommends regulatory guidelines for licensing boards and helps architects expand their professional reach through the NCARB Certificate.

Connect with NCARB on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

About AIA

Founded in 1857, AIA consistently works to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings, neighborhoods, and communities. Through more than 200 international, state and local chapters, AIA advocates for public policies that promote economic vitality and public wellbeing.

AIA provides members with tools and resources to assist them in their careers and business as well as engaging civic and government leaders and the public to find solutions to pressing issues facing our communities, institutions, nation, and world. Members adhere to a code of ethics and conduct to ensure the highest professional standards.

For ARPL media inquiries, please contact Joe Sangiorgio by email at jsangiorgio@craftdc.com or by phone at 1-202-550-2709

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The Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing (ARPL) promotes a responsible, balanced approach to professional licensing. We aim to educate policymakers and the public on the importance of high standards, rigorous education, and extensive experience within highly complex, technical professions that are relied upon to protect public safety and enhance public trust. For more information, visit www.responsiblelicensing.org

AICPA, NASBA Help Launch New Coalition to Protect Professional Licensing

8/12/2019

AICPA, NASBA Help Launch New Coalition to Protect Professional Licensing

CPAs, Boards of Accountancy and Others Unite to Maintain Public Protection as Licensing Standards Put at Risk

Washington, DC – The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) have helped found the Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing (ARPL) – a new coalition of advanced professions focused on educating policymakers and the public about the importance of rigorous professional licensing standards.

AICPA and NASBA will work with other ARPL members to inform lawmakers of the need to maintain standards for highly complex, technical professions like the CPA profession that have a clear impact on the public’s fiscal health and welfare. The coalition was formed to ensure the voices and concerns of the advanced professions are heard by lawmakers amid the growing debate around licensing.

“Weakening professional licensing standards on a state-by-state basis will destroy the confidence in qualifications and completely disrupt existing mobility models for advanced professions like ours,” warned Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, president and CEO of AICPA. “Employers will be less inclined to accept out-of-state licenses if some states have rigorous requirements and others have weak requirements. The result: it will become more difficult for CPAs to move and maintain their careers across states.”

“When a CPA performs an audit of a business or government, the public must have confidence in its accuracy, thoroughness, and integrity,” explained NASBA CEO Ken Bishop. “The most effective way to maintain this confidence is to continue to have CPAs show rigorous education, examination, and experience for their licensing requirements. Broad-brush attempts to weaken or undermine licensing requirements threaten to sweep up advanced professions like certified public accounting, diminish public protection and jeopardize the fiscal integrity of the work our professionals do.”

You can learn more about ARPL and the importance of professional licensing by visiting the group’s newly-launched website http://www.responsiblelicensing.org.

ARPL members include the American Institute of Architects (AIA), American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB), the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) and the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) .

For ARPL media inquiries, please contact Joe Sangiorgio by email at jsangiorgio@craftdc.com or by phone at 1-202-550-2709

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ASCE, NCEES, NSPE Launch New Coalition to Protect Professional Licensing

8/12/2019

ASCE, NCEES, NSPE Launch New Coalition to Protect Professional Licensing

Civil Engineers, Professional Engineers, Licensing Boards and Others Unite as Standards Put at Risk by Calls to Eliminate or Weaken Licensing

Washington, DC – The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) and the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) are founding members of the Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing (ARPL), a new coalition of advanced professions focused on educating policymakers and the public about the importance of rigorous professional licensing standards.

ASCE, NCEES and NSPE will collaborate with other ARPL members to inform lawmakers of the need to maintain standards for highly complex, technical professions like engineering that have a clear impact on public health, safety and welfare. The coalition was formed to ensure the voices and concerns of the advanced professions are heard by lawmakers amid the growing debate around licensing.

“When civil engineers design and build critical infrastructure projects like roads, airports, bridges and dams, the public must have confidence in their safety and structural integrity,” said ASCE President Robin A. Kemper, P.E. “The best way to ensure the public’s confidence is to continue to require civil engineers to demonstrate rigorous education, examination and experience as part of their licensing. Recent state-by-state attempts to weaken professional licensing requirements pose a real danger to the public’s health, safety and welfare.”

“Engineers, surveyors and other advanced professions are at risk of being swept up in efforts by state legislatures to reduce licensing requirements for occupations and vocations,” said NCEES CEO David Cox. “Calls to eliminate or weaken licensing make no distinction for advanced, highly complex, technical professions that impact public safety, trust and welfare. These broad-brush proposals have real, negative repercussions, including the dismantling of carefully developed professional licensing systems that have historically protected the public.”

“Advanced professions like ours already have licensing models that work, making it possible for our engineers to move from one state to another and have their licenses acknowledged,” said NSPE CEO Mark Golden. “This is only possible because well-structured licensing systems have established consistency in qualifications and standards within our profession. This uniformity establishes a baseline of trust in the qualifications of our engineers to do their work and keep the public safe.”

For more information about ARPL and the importance of professional licensing as a life-saving credential, visit the group’s newly-launched website http://www.responsiblelicensing.org/.

For ARPL media inquiries, please contact Joe Sangiorgio by email at jsangiorgio@craftdc.com or by phone at 1-202-550-2709

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AIA and NCARB Help Launch Coalition on Complex Professions and Licensing Standards

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) are among several organizations who have helped found the Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing (ARPL)—a new coalition of technical professions focused on educating policymakers and the public about the importance of rigorous professional licensing standards. “NCARB and AIA may approach the licensing debate from different perspectives but we fundamentally agree that rigorous standards must be maintained in order to protect the public we both serve,” said NCARB CEO Michael J. Armstrong. “Complex professions are at risk of being swept up in broad calls to reduce licensing requirements for occupations and vocations. It is important for us to work with other technical professions to ensure public safety isn’t compromised by broad brush deregulatory efforts.”

Read the full article here: https://www.architectmagazine.com/practice/aia-and-ncarb-help-launch-coalition-on-complex-professions-and-licensing-standards_o

AICPA and NASBA work on evolving the CPA licensing model

The AICPA and NASBA introduced on Monday the Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing, a coalition of advanced professions — including accountants, architects and engineers — that’s focusing on educating policymakers and the public about the importance of rigorous professional licensing standards. “Weakening professional licensing standards on a state-by-state basis will destroy the confidence in qualifications and completely disrupt existing mobility models for advanced professions like ours,” said AICPA president and CEO Barry Melancon in a statement. “Employers will be less inclined to accept out-of-state licenses if some states have rigorous requirements and others have weak requirements. The result: It will become more difficult for CPAs to move and maintain their careers across states.”

Read the full article here: https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/aicpa-and-nasba-work-on-evolving-the-cpa-licensing-model