Senate Bill 08-029 – Mandatory Continuing Education in Colorado Q&A
What is Senate Bill 08-029? Senate
Bill 29 will require architects to complete continuing education every
two years in order to renew their Colorado architect’s license. After
the continuing education program is in place, the state will develop an
expanded program for architects to demonstrate "continued competency.”
The continuing education requirement is likely to be part of this
ultimate system.
When will the bill go into effect? Rules
for continuing education must be established by December 31, 2008. The
rules will apply to architects renewing licenses on or after July 1,
2009.
Why did AIA Colorado choose to support Senate Bill 29? Architecture is an ever-changing field and AIA members realize how
important it is to the health, safety and welfare of the public to
ensure that architects practicing today are
educated on new developments in the profession and a changing environment.
If AIA Colorado already required
continuing education for its members, what was the motivation for making
it a statewide requirement? AIA understands the importance of continuing education in ensuring the health, safety and welfare of the public.
What legislators sponsored this bill? Senate sponsors included Groff, Bacon, Keller, Kester, Penry, Tapia and
Tochtrop. House sponsors were Balmer, Fisher, Green, Labuda, Liston and
McFayden.
Why is continuing education necessary in the architectural profession? Architects are required to pass a series of exams to first become
licensed, and those exams test the knowledge/skills required to practice
when someone enters the profession today, as determined by a thorough
Practice Analysis performed every 5 – 10 years. Many architects in Colorado, however, were licensed
after passing previous versions of the exam, which, although appropriate
for their time, did not encompass the full range of topics necessary
for practice today.
What are some examples of how the requisite knowledge to practice architecture has changed? There are many examples that were not tested on the ARE five, ten, or
twenty years ago, including: sustainable design; accessibility; indoor
air quality; design for response to terrorist threats; advances in
disaster response; advances in seismic design; prevention of mold; new
types of building systems; new project delivery methods, such as
"integrated practice.” The rate of change suggests that the knowledge
base required of architects today to ensure the health, safety, and
welfare of the public will continue to change in the future.
Professional Development Units (PDU’s)
come in two categories, those that do and those that do not cover topics
classified as Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW). How will the state
know that the continuing education taken by architects in the future
will actually further the knowledge that is necessary to protect the
public? AIA Colorado recommends that the state of Colorado adopt a program that only recognizes HSW credits.
Who will be responsible for determining appropriate state continuing education requirements? Members
from the State Board of Examiners of Architects, state employees,
representatives from The American Institute of Architects and allied
professions will work together with the Department of Regulatory
Agencies to establish appropriate rules for the program. The state
licensing board has the ultimate authority to set the rules, through a
process that will culminate in a public hearing this fall.
When will those requirements be communicated and how will they be communicated? AIA
Colorado will work with the Department of Regulatory Agencies to
communicate licensing requirements as they are finalized. Updated
requirements will be communicated electronically and via mail.
How will it specifically affect AIA members? This law is unlikely to have a major impact on AIA members because AIA
architects are already required to complete 18 hours of continuing
education a year, 8 of which are HSW hours.
How does AIA Colorado plan to help architects licensed in Colorado meet the new requirements? AIA
Colorado and the four local chapters are currently working on their
strategic plans for 2009. Assisting architects in their educational
pursuits continues to be an important priority at both the state and
local levels. AIA Colorado is working closely with the licensing board
to create a communication plan for all architects throughout the state
on requirements.
Other than attending AIA Colorado educational events, will the AIA educate members on other continuing education resources? AIA Colorado understands that a variety of continuing education
opportunities are important to our members as leaders of the
architectural community. We plan to offer courses that meet the
requirements soon to be established by the state of Colorado, and will
also continue to advertise alternative programs that are of interest to
our members.
Where can I find out more information about Senate Bill 29? To access the bill in it’s entirety go to
www.leg.state.co.us.
AIA Colorado will post updates on the effects of this bill as they are
known. Additionally, formal updates will be published by the state board
of architects, professional engineers and professional land surveyors.
How do I become part of future AIA Colorado legislative processes? The AIA Colorado Government Affairs Committee is open to all AIA
Colorado members. The committee meets the 1st Friday of every month at
the AIA Colorado office.
Additionally, there is a legislative subcommittee that meets weekly
during the legislative session that members may attend. AIA Colorado
welcomes comments and suggestions from members at all times. Call the
AIA Colorado office to submit a
comment or suggestion at 303-446-2266.
How or will this affect any allied professions (engineers, etc.)? Continuing education and continued competency are likely to be a model for other professions in the future.
How many other states currently require continuing education? 38 other states currently require continuing education for
architectural registration renewal or have enacted enabling legislation.
What about the states surrounding Colorado? The states of Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming
all require demonstration of continuing professional development as a
condition for registration renewal.
The state does not have continuing
education requirements for either professional engineers or professional
land surveyors. Why would such a provision be appropriate to apply to
architects? The other professionals are in a better position to
answer for their own practice. Nevertheless, it is clear that the
knowledge base required for the practice of different professions is
subject to different forces and rates of change.
How will the cost of my license renewal be affected? Because the state requires all licensed programs to be self funded
through fees, there will be some increase in the cost to renew licenses.
The state has not yet set this cost.