An Act To Clarify Laws Concerning the Registration of Professional Engineers

Sec. 1. 32 MRSA §1357,  as amended by PL 2013, c. 296, §6, is further amended to read:

§ 1357. Expiration and renewals

Licenses expire on the last day of December of odd-numbered years following their issuance or renewal and become invalid on that date unless renewed. The board shall notify every person licensed under this chapter of the date of the expiration of that person's license and the amount of the fee that is required for its renewal for a 2-year period, except when the applicant has become licensed during the first year of the 2-year period, then the renewal fee is for the remaining one year of that 2-year period. The notice must be provided at least one month in advance of the date of the expiration of the license. Renewal may be effected at any time after completion of continuing education requirements and after receipt of notice by the payment of a fee established by rule by the board, which may not exceed $50 annually. Licenses may be renewed up to 90 days 5 years after the date of expiration upon payment of a late fee of $10 for each quarter elapsed since the date of expiration in addition to the applicable renewal fee fees. Any person who submits an application for renewal more than 90 days after the license renewal date and has held a license for less than 10 years is subject to all requirements governing new applicants under this chapter, except that the board may in its discretion, giving due consideration to the protection of the public, waive examination if the renewal application is made within 3 4 years from the date of the expiration.

Sec. 2. Retroactivity. This Act applies retroactively to January 1, 2011.

summary

This bill, retroactive to January 1, 2011, preserves the rights of holders of professional engineer licenses by allowing an engineer whose license has expired to renew that license up to 5 years after the date of expiration and, as long as the engineer had previously held a license as a professional engineer for at least 10 years, to forgo the licensure requirements otherwise applicable for a former licensee who is seeking license renewal after 90 days have elapsed, which are the same requirements applicable to new applicants.