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by Abbie Goodman, MALSCE Chief of External Affairs
Attached is an Order from the Department of Public Utilities, docket 19-43, issued July 18, 2019 adopting emergency revisions to the Dig Safe Regulations, 220 CMR 99.00. The new regulations are attached to the Order.These new regulations take effect July 18, 2019 and will remain in effect for three months, by which time the Department will receive public comment and issue a final version of the regulations. The Department seeks initial written comments on the Emergency Regulations no later than 5:00 pm on Monday, August 26, 2019. The Department seeks reply written comments on the Emergency Regulations no later than 5:00 pm on Tuesday, September 3, 2019. ACTION For MALSCE Members: Please let Abbie Goodman know if you have particular comments on these draft regulations by August 1, 2019.
H.2815, An Act relative to improving public safety in excavation, had a hearing on July 9 before the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy; ACEC/MA President Jennifer Howe, PE (SMMA) testified before the Joint Committee on behalf of ACEC/MA and with the support of MALSCE leadership.
Please reach out to your state legislators now, based on where you live/vote and ask them to support favorable action on this bill. Let them know that this is important for public safety, climate resiliency projects, your town and your professional practice.
To reach your legislator's State House office to call, schedule a local meeting or find out when they next have local office hours, click here.
To view the fact sheet on the bill from our May 2019 Engineers and Land Surveyors Day at the State House, click here.
If you have questions, contact Abbie Goodman.
On 4/17, the City launched a registration portal for lobbyists in Boston. Boston's municipal lobbying ordinance aims to further promote good governance and transparency in the city and requires lobbyists, lobbyist entities and lobbying clients to register with the Boston City Clerk's Office. Additional information and registration fees are available online.
MALSCE's External Affairs Chief and ACEC/MA Executive Director Abbie Goodman is working in coalition with NAIOP on issues of concern to design professionals. Here's a copy of the letter and the legal memo that the coalition delivered to Mayor Walsh and Boston CIty Councillors last week.
Action Requested: If you live/vote in Boston, email Abbie Goodman with the neighborhood city council district where you live for grassroots efforts. Link to check your Boston City Council District
The Boston Lobbying Ordinance uses a very broad definition for lobbying that may include some work done by engineers, land surveyors and other design professionals working on public and private sector projects in Boston. ACEC/MA, working in coalition with the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network, Greater Boston Real Estate Board, NAIOP and others, is seeking clarifications and guidance on this issue that it will share with MALSCE leadership.
On July 22, 2019, the House and the Senate adopted a $43.1 billion fiscal 2020 budget. Lawmakers said it offers the largest annual increase ever in K-12 education spending support through the state's Chapter 70 account, a $269 million increase. By a 158-0 vote, the House accepted the bill (H 4000), which includes drug pricing control reforms similar to language in the House's version of the budget and does not include Senate proposals to freeze UMass tuition and fees or implement new taxes on opioid manufacturers and vaping products. The bill will raise the state's rainy day fund balance to about $3.3B.
The next meeting of the Board of Registration is on July 25, 2019, so the information below is from the June meeting:
Abbie Goodman attended the June 27, 2019 meeting of the Board of Registration of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors and briefed Board members about status of the regulatory process for the natural gas bill. It was the last meeting for the Board'd public member Joanne Linowes, who is stepping down from the Board due to a family medical issue. Shannon Slaughter, Esq, has been appointed to replace Ms. Linowes effective July 1, 2019.
The board discussed a draft flowchart that outlines the licensure process. The board and DPL staff are working to develop this flowchart as an aid to potential licensees.
The next Board of Registration meeting will be on July 25, 2019. Issues will probably include:
As a reminder, these are additional steps on continuing professional competency regulations:
Gubernatorial appointment requests:
Additional resource links:
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250 CMR –version as finalized through the Secretary of State’s office as of 2-10-2017 |
See: https://www.mass.gov/lists/statutes-and-regulations-engineerland-survey Scroll down to separate sections of 259 CMR |
Professional Engineers, Professional Land Surveyors, Registered Architects and other Design Professionals living in and licensed in Massachusetts are sought after to serve on certain public boards and commissions created under state law or by regulations. This is an opportunity to participate directly in government, by providing your professional expertise to help shape public policy for the benefit of residents. For more on serving and how to apply, see this link: https://www.engineers.org/get-involved/public-boards-commissions
--posted by Abbie Goodman, MALSCE External Affairs Chief
Important: To be recognized as a MALSCE member you must login using your MALSCE assigned username and password.
Registration is processed through the MALSCE associated website, www.engineers.org. MALSCE is supported by the staff of The Engineering Center Education Trust.
Please note: Altering your name or contact information during registration may overwrite your record in our membership database and prevent you from receiving your member benefits.
If you have additional questions regarding registration, please contact us at 617/227-5551 or malsce@engineers.org.