Architecture Law Reforms to be Signed Today

SB 5529, modernizing Washington’s architecture licensing laws, will be signed into law by Governor Gregoire today.

It has been 25 years since the architecture law last saw major revisions. A lot has changed in the practice since then. This new law will bring the architecture law into the 21^st Century. The bill itself is the product of over 6 years of work. The first drafts and reviews of the law started in 2004, shortly after I first came to work for the AIA|WA. Over the next few years a task force was formed, concepts discussed and the bill drafted. A bill was first introduced in 2008 during that year’s 60 day legislative session. During three legislative session the bill was refined. Remarkably, the final law will look very similar to the bill that was introduced back in 2008. There were a few tweaks here and there, but the core framework remains.

AIA|WA is working on a detailed summary of the new law. An update will be sent to the membership in the coming weeks. Right now, we are focusing on finishing the special legislative session that is ongoing in Olympia.

There are a lot of people who deserve credit for this law. At the risk of not mentioning everyone, we would like to acknowledge a few who did yeoman’s work on the bill.

First, Jeffrey Hamlett, AIA, took the lead early on to work on drafting the bill and leading the discussions. He researched most every state’s laws to find provisions that we should emulate in Washington. In 2005, he led a member workshop on the licensing law during the AIA Northwest & Pacific Region Conference in Seattle. He has remained involved for the duration of the effort.

Second, Peter Rasmussen, FAIA, provided legislative testimony and negotiated changes with other organizations. As a former chair of the state’s licensing board and NCARB officer, his knowledge of licensing laws and practices was invaluable during the process (especially when we ran into roadblocks).

Third, Dave Huotari, AIA, and his colleagues at AIA Spokane did outstanding work in heading off problems that arose from that area of the state. They were able to remove a major roadblock by working a key legislator to garner his support for the bill.

Fourth, the members of the Board for Architects (licensing board), were very supportive and helpful in providing feedback on the needs to be addressed in the legal reforms and input as to the feasibility of implementing its provisions.

Next, there have been many officers and board members cycle through  the AIA|WA in the last few years and members of the AIA|WA Practice Resource Group who have contributed to the ultimate framework and success of this new law. They are too many to mention, but we thank them all for their input, guidance and advocacy efforts.

Finally, AIA|WA thanks the legislative sponsors. Former Senator Fred Jarrett worked very hard for this bill during his tenure. He took another position as Deputy King County Executive this year, but stayed in touch as the bill progressed. When he left the Senate, Senator Curtis King stepped in as the other Senate cosponsor to move the bill through the process.

We had a House companion to this bill, too, HB 1634. Representative Scott White was the prime sponsor there. He worked very hard on this bill over the last two years. We asked him to sponsor a bill that at the time had no opposition and was to be a nice easy bill for a freshman work on. As it turned out, problems kept popping up. He met every challenge and worked tirelessly with us to resolve concerns and keep the bill moving.

And, we also appreciate the work of the other House cosponsors: Jim Jacks, Christine Rolfes, Bruce Chandler, Reuven Carlyle, Marko Liias, Larry Crouse, Hans Dunshee and Steve Conway.

Of course, we should also mention the hundreds of AIA members who responded to our action alerts over the last 3 legislative sessions. Their grassroots support of the bill made it easier to lobby for in Olympia. An association is only as good as its members. We have some great members and their efforts will last for many years in the form of the new law.

Again, thank you to everyone who helped to craft and pass this new law. While this part of the effort will conclude tomorrow, the next phase is beginning. We will start working with the licensing board on the rulemaking necessary to implement the bill. Some of the bill’s provisions will take effect this year, some next year and a few in 2012. Look for a detailed review soon.

Governor Gregoire Announces Boards/Commissions Cuts/Changes

Governor Gregoire recently issued recommendations for changes to the many boards and commissions in Washington state. (Follow the link for the Governor's press release and lists of affected agencies.)

She eliminated 17 boards via executive order and has proposed another 78 be eliminated by legislative action. She is also proposing the consolidation, movement and merger of some boards and sub-cabinet agencies.

For the most part there is very little impact on the architectural profession by these proposals. The licensing board, for instance, would be unaffected. And, many of those being eliminated likley will not be missed by the profession or the people of Washington. However, there are a few proposals that merit a closer look by the AIA|WA.

Architects serve on the following boards being proposed for elimination:

• The Capital Projects Advisory Review Board (CPARB)
• The Capitol Campus Design Advisory Committee

In addition the AIA has had an interest in the following board being proposed to be eliminated:

• Home Inspector Advisory Licensing Board

CPARB is a board that the AIA|WA helped to create and has protected against elimination in the past. It serves a vital regulatory and oversight function regarding the use of alternative public works procurement processes by state and local government agencies. Norm Strong, FAIA, is the AIA’s current representative on CPARB. It is not clear if the Project Review Committee, which reports to CPARB, would also be eliminated.

The Capitol Campus Design Advisory Committee, “Advises the State Capitol Committee and the director of General Administration to review programs, planning, design, and landscaping of state capitol facilities and grounds and to make recommendations that will contribute to the attainment of architectural, aesthetic, functional, and environmental excellence in design and maintenance of capitol facilities on campus and located in neighboring communities.” The law requires that the appointees be: two architects; one landscape architect; and an urban planner. The AIA members serving on the committee are Paul Blanton, FAIA, of Spokane and Alex Rolluda, AIA, of Seattle and Dennis Haskell, FAIA, of Seattle.

The Home Inspector board was created only recently to oversee the development and implementation of the home inspector licensing program. AIA|WA supported the creation of the licensing program.

The Governor is also proposing to create an environmental and land use hearings office by reducing and combining the Growth Management Hearings Boards and the Environmental Hearings Office

Finally, Gregoire proposes to reorganize the Department of Commerce (formerly CTED). Currently, the State Building Code Council is housed at Commerce. Gregoire is proposing to move it to the Department of Labor & Industries. John Cochran, AIA, of Seattle, serves as AIA's main representative on the board and we have several members serving on the Council and on technical advisory groups (too many to succinctly list).

There is some logic to this move. Related programs, such as elevator and electrical inspection, are housed at L&I. But, L&I is an agency that has a very political culture and has been problematic in a number of other areas. For instance, we’ve received complaints about the lack of responsiveness of the elevator inspectors.

What are your thoughts on the elimination proposals? Are they needed reforms. Or, are there problems with the proposals. Comment below.

Board for Architects Meeting

Also coming up next week is the quarterly meeting of the state Board for Architects. The Board will be meeting in Seattle on at the University of Washington. For a copy of their agenda and the exact time and location of the meeting, go to their website.