AIA|WA Testifies on Architect's Licensing Bill

The architects licensing bill, HB 1634 - Modernization of Architecture Licensing, had a hearing on Friday, January 15, 2010, at 8 a.m. before the House Commerce & Labor Committee. The hearing was on the Substitute version that was passed out of the policy and fiscal committees in 2009.

Based on discussions with legislators over the interim, the AIA/WA asked that an additional amendment be made to the bill that deals with the alternative pathway. The amendment will mirror the one introduced at our request by Representative Scott White for consideration during floor action (Amendment 1634-S HELA 033). The current length of time for an applicant, to have met the prerequisites to take the exam, is 8 years. Last year, the bill changed that provision to 12 years. This year, after significant discussion in committee, the AIA/WA will propose a compromise at 9 years. Nine years mirrors the current traditional pathway, which is typically 6 years of school and a minimum of 3 years of experience.

You can see the AIA/WA testimony (by Stan Bowman, AIA/WA Executive Director; and Rep. Scott White, the bill’s prime sponsor) in support of the bill bellow.