NSPE and the Georgia Society of Professional Engineers are pressing Governor Brian Kemp to veto a bill that would undermine the PE license by creating a separate licensing system for structural engineers.
Georgia Senate Bill 310 is described by its supporters as a change that “alleviates the competitive disadvantage” of Georgia PEs when bidding for contacts against out-of-state engineers with a structural engineer designation. In reality, however, S.B. 310 creates an additional layer of bureaucracy, requiring an engineer who is qualified to practice in more than one area to obtain multiple licenses.
In a letter to Kemp, NSPE President-Elect Tricia Hatley, P.E., F.NSPE, expressed strong opposition to the bill. She urged, as an alternative, consideration of a structural engineering certification that could be obtained after earning a PE license. Such an approach, Hatley wrote, allows more flexibility and would give Georgia PEs the same competitive advantage “without drawing a hard line between structural and other types of engineering.”