Professional engineers.

Existing law establishes the Board for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors in the Department of Consumer Affairs. Existing law recognizes various engineering disciplines. Existing law prohibits the practicing of civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering by any person who has not passed a specified examination and who is not appropriately licensed by the board in that discipline. Existing law makes various violations of the Professional Engineers Act a crime, including the practice or offer to practice by a person of civil, electrical, or mechanical engineering without authorization as provided by the act. This bill would also prohibit the practice of agricultural, chemical, control system, fire protection, industrial, metallurgical, nuclear, petroleum, and traffic engineering, as defined, by any person who has not passed a specified examination and who is not appropriately licensed by the board in the particular discipline. The bill would authorize any licensed engineer to practice engineering work in any of those fields in which he or she is competent and proficient. The bill would make other changes to related provisions. By revising the definition of a crime to include additional engineering disciplines, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.