Maintaining the Model Law and Model Rules is a key part of NCEES efforts to promote mobility. The licensing requirements outlined in them reflect a consensus of what the member boards think licensing laws and rules should be.

This year, delegates voted to modify the approach to requiring additional education for initial engineering licensure by removing specific language in the NCEES Model Law and Model Rules, originally intended to be effective in 2020. As part of the vote, delegates decided instead to develop an official NCEES position statement that reflects the education standards that were included in the Model Law Engineer 2020 and Model Law Structural Engineer 2020 definitions.

Delegates also voted to approve the development of a continuing professional competency (CPC) registry that will allow licensees to upload, track, and maintain a record of CPC activities. The registry will maintain a record of CPC information, provide an estimate of a licensee’s compliance with the CPC requirements for a majority of U.S. jurisdictions, and identify and summarize CPC activities offered by recognized providers of quality CPC courses. The registry will enhance mobility by providing a tool for licensees to maintain CPC activities in a consistent format.

Another major change made was to remove the prerequisite of four years of experience before a licensure candidate can take the PE exam. The Model Law still requires four years of experience to be licensed as a P.E., but the timing of that experience is no longer tied to the exam.