Plumbing Engineer Registration!!!
ASPE & Plumbing Engineers everywhere need your help.
Over the past year and a half the members of the Board of Directors for the Boston Chapter have been involved with the process of moving to have the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Division of Professional Licensure (DPL) reinstate the Professional Registration for Plumbing Engineering. The official recognition of this discipline was abruptly stopped by the DPL many years ago. Investigations by various members of past Boards and others failed to find an officially documented reason for the discontinuance.
Last year, members of the Chapter's Board approached Massachusetts State Senator James Timilty, Chairman of the Committee on Public Safety and asked that he investigate this situation and assist us in our quest to reinstate the Professional Registration for engineers involved in the Plumbing discipline.
Earlier this year Senator Timilty filed what is now being addressed as Senate Bill 181 (S181):
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________ In the Year Two Thousand and Nine _______________
"AN ACT RELATIVE TO PLUMBING ENGINEERS Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
SECTION 1. Notwithstanding any general of special law to the contrary, the board of registration of professional engineers and land surveyors, established under Section 45 of Chapter 2 13, shall promulgate rules and regulations to establish and certify the registration of a class of engineer specifically trained in plumbing."
In short, passage of this Bill by both the Massachusetts House and Senate and subsequent signing into law by the Governor, will act to direct the Board of Licensure to reinstate the Registered Plumbing Engineer designation within the Commonwealth.
On May 19th of this year a public hearing was held at the State House by the "Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure". On the docket for this meeting was discussion of Senate Bill 181. The following members of the Chapter were present at this hearing:
Chapter President, Rick Neth
VP Technical James Polando
Past President Frank Teebagy
Administrative Secretary Paul Galvin
They were joined by Kevin Cotter, Business Manager/Secretary Treasurer of Plumbers Union Local 12 Boston MA
When Bill S181 was called from the agenda, Rick, James, Frank, Paul and Kevin each testified as to the importance of the passage of this bill and the positive effect it would have on the construction industry in the Commonwealth.
The Bill is now in the hands of the members of the Joint Committee while the Senate and House await their decision. The Joint Committee may rule favorably or unfavorably on the Bill. They may also keep it in Committee, thereby preventing the Bill from being placed before the Legislature in this session.
We therefore are asking all recipients of this information to open the web site for the "Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure" http://www.mass.gov/legis/comm/j17.htm. Scroll down to "Members of the Committee". You will be able to "click" to the individual web sites for each member, where you can obtain their contact information. We would further ask you to contact the individual members of the Committee either by phone, fax or e-mail and convey the following to each:
1. Your desire for the Committee to decide on presenting a favorable report of S181 to the Legislature.
2. Your desire this report be sent in a timely manner as to ensure the Bill is presented for vote within the current Legislative Session.
It is our hope that all recipients comply with this request and we will be successful in our quest to again have the Commonwealth of Massachusetts recognize the Professional Plumbing Engineer discipline.
Thanking you in advance, we remain.
Board of Directors, Boston Chapter ASPE