Government Affairs activities and news for MALSCE members
by Abbie Goodman, MALSCE Chief of External Affairs
News Impacting MALSCE members:
- PE and PLS Totals by Discipline
The Engineering Center Education Trust (TECET), in cooperation with the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors and the Division of Occupational Licensure, collects data on the total number of current PE (Professional Engineer) and PLS (Professional Land Surveyor) licensees. The 10/16/24 data set shows that there are now only 684 licensed Massachusetts Professional Land Surveyors, the lowest number of PLS licensees we've seen since we started tracking licensees in 2003. The data shows reductions in licensees in other disciplines too. Check out the data:
https://www.engineers.org/about/news/pe-and-pls-totals-by-discipline-up-to-and-through-10-16-2024-1750
- Beneficial Ownership Reporting Requirements Corporate Transparency Act (CTA)
The CTA requires certain businesses to file Beneficial Ownership Information reports with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) at Treasury. BOI reports must be filed by existing firms by 12/31/2024. Firms with ≤ 20 employees and firms with < $5M in gross receipts must file BOI reports with FinCEN. Larger firms may also be required to file BOI reports, depending on their structure.
More
- MassDOT Releases Active Update Edition of the MassDOT Highway Division Project Development and Design Guide (PDDG), which supersedes the 2006 Edition of the PDDG.
Starting in October 2023, MassDOT began to update elements of the 2006 Edition of the PDDG by posting revised chapters on mass.gov. As of October 21, 2024, MassDOT has posted 10 revised chapters and will post the remaining 8 revised chapters in the coming months. All revised content is in a web-based format to allow for easier updates in the future. On October 21, MassDOT released two updated chapters that contain some of the most significant changes made to date: Chapter 2 – Project Development, and Chapter 3 – Basic Design Controls.
The Active Update Edition of the PDDG expands on the principles of context-sensitive design and multimodal design that were prominent in the 2006 Edition of the PDDG and includes a new emphasis on speed management and the use of a Safe System Approach to design. As part of this approach, designers are now required to select a Target Speed for many projects, which will influence their subsequent design decisions. The Active Update Edition of the PDDG also includes important changes to the project scoping process to help ensure that all necessary elements are considered early in the project development process, before significant resources are expended.
For additional information regarding the Active Update Edition of the PDDG and how it should be used on new and active projects, refer to Engineering Directive E-24-004.
Refer also to an updated Design Justification Workbook, which reflects the changes made to Chapter 3 – Basic Design Controls.
Legislative Session
- Economic Development Bond bill passes legislature in rare formal session on November 14, 2024. Because this was a bond bill, it required the legislature to take a roll call vote in each chamber: More
- Clean Energy bill passes legislature in same rare formal session on November 14, 2024: S.2967, An Act Promoting a Clean Energy Grid, Advancing Equity, and Protecting Ratepayers, reforms the siting and permitting of clean energy facilities, while responsibly reforming the gas distribution system. It vastly expands the electric vehicle (EV) charging network, incentivizes innovative technologies such as battery storage, fusion energy, advanced metering and meter socket adapters, includes measures to protect residents from high energy costs, and equips state agencies with the mandate to fight climate change. More
- The formal session of the Massachusetts legislature ended on July 31, 2024, (early in the morning of August 1, 2024…as they stopped the clock.)
- During informal session, some bills are still passing and going to the Governor’s desk, if there is no objection from any legislator.
- New Legislative session starts January 1, 2025.
- New Legislators To Join Massachusetts Legislature in 2025
Division of Occupational Licensure: Board of Registration of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors
• Next Board of Registration of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors public meeting is posted as: November 20, 2024.
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The Board of Registration is planning to hold this meeting on Teams. For meeting details, go to
this page two business days before the meeting and scroll down to the meeting listing to download the agenda with either location or connection instructions.
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Draft September 26, 2024 public meeting minutes were approved at the October 31, 2024 public meeting but are not yet posted on the Board's website. Here is the version that the board discussed at its September 26 Board meeting:
Draft September 26, 2024 public meeting minutes.
- Also, final public meeting minutes for the April 24, 2024, the May 30, 2024 and the August 29, 2024, public meetings were posted on the Board's website in October. The July 25, 2024 minutes have still not been provided to the Board.
Highlights of the October 31, 2024 Board of Registration Meeting:
- The Division of Occupational Licensure records its boards’ meetings.
- This meeting was held on Teams only. The planned November 20 meeting is expected to be on Teams. The Board might return to hybrid meetings in the future, if at least one-quarter of the board can attend in person.
- Chair Paul Tyrell called the meeting to order.
- The Board did not discuss the poor quality of plans filed with the Suffolk Registry of Deeds –The Board is still asking the division for action: an Advisory letter to the Registries.
• Board Counsel Legal Report from Philip Chan
- No Change: Draft Continuing Professional Competency Regulations are still in the Executive Office of Administration and Finance and then would move on to the Secretary of State's office for review.
• Executive Director report by Kathleen McNally.
- Still chipping away at the NCEES enforcement exchange list
- There is progress in the conversion of JP exam to computer-based-testing, but the fall 2024 exam was a pencil and paper exam.
The Board’s Public Meeting adjourned at about 10:05 am.
