Author: nmaggio

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/.

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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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
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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

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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

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