Real estate appraisers: licensing.

Existing law, the Real Estate Appraisers' Licensing and Certification Law, provides for the licensure and regulation of real estate appraisers and vests the duty of enforcing and administering that law in the Office of Real Estate Appraisers. Existing law authorizes the Director of the Office of Real Estate Appraisers to adopt regulations governing the process and procedure of licensing real estate appraisers, as specified. (1) Existing law authorizes the Director of the Office of Real Estate Appraisers to issue to a licensee, or course provider, as specified, a citation that may impose the requirement to complete an education course or courses by the licensee, under specified conditions. Existing law provides for the automatic suspension of a real estate appraiser's license if the licensee fails to satisfactorily or timely complete an education course as imposed by the citation. This bill would prohibit the renewal of a license if the licensee fails to satisfactorily complete the additional education requirements imposed by the citation, as specified. (2) Existing law authorizes the office to publish a summary of public disciplinary actions taken by the office against licensees and registrants, including resignations while under investigation. This bill would authorize the office to institute or continue disciplinary proceedings against a licensee or registrant, or to suspend or revoke a license or certificate of registration, notwithstanding the expiration, or suspension, cancellation, or forfeiture by operation of law, or by an order of the office or a court of law, of the license or certificate of registration, as specified. (3) Existing law requires fingerprinting and background checks, as specified, by the Department of Justice of applicants for real estate appraiser licenses and each controlling person of an applicant for registration as an appraisal management company. This bill would require the applicants for real estate appraiser licenses and each controlling person of each applicant for registration as an appraisal management company to submit to the Department of Justice fingerprint images and information via LiveScan. The bill would also require that applicants located out of state submit fingerprint cards with their application package, for submission by the office to the department. (4) Existing law sets forth standards with which an appraisal management company needs to comply regarding independent contractor appraisers, including standards relating to licensure, performance of appraisal services, and appraisal reports. This bill would, in addition, make these requirements applicable to employee appraisers, as specified. (5) Existing law prohibits a registered appraisal management company from requiring an appraiser to provide it with the appraiser's digital signature or seal. Existing law, however, allows an appraiser to provide his or her digital signature or seal to another person voluntarily. This bill would allow an appraiser to provide his or her digital signature or seal to another person only to the extent permissible under the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraiser Practice. (6) Existing law requires the department to charge licensing and issuance-related fees to each applicant, and requires that these fees be paid to the office at the time of filing the application. Existing law also provides that fees may be paid, among other means, by government purchase order. This bill would remove the requirement that issuance-related fees be paid at the time of filing that application. The bill would also delete the provision allowing payment of these fees by government purchase order. (7) Existing law requires that applications for a license be submitted to the office within one year of the successful completion of the required examination. This bill would instead specify that an applicant is not eligible to have a license issued unless he or she notifies the office within one year of successful completion of the required examination. (8) This bill would also delete an obsolete reference and make other conforming changes.