Stop SB 472 Before It Becomes Law!

SB 472 has completed legislative action and is on its way to the governor’s desk to be signed into law. We have been opposing this bill since it was introduced. I urge each of you to contact the governor’s office and ask that he veto this bill.

Attached is a letter to that effect that was drafted by the Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing (ARPL), a group created by the NCEES to assist licensing boards, and then edited by Jack Booda to fit the surveying profession. You may use this letter, edit it as you see fit or prepare one of your own.

Please email your letter to the governor’s office at: Melissa.R.Parsons@wv.gov

Time is of the essence so please do this immediately!

Thank you for your assistance as we advocate on your behalf and in the best interests of the surveying profession.

If you need more information, my opinion of the bill is there is nothing wrong with reviewing the need for new industry regulation or periodically reviewing the scope and need for existing industry regulation. This is how we keep regulation sensible and responsible. Regulation needs to protect the public interest but not get in the way of commerce. This is healthy. The PERD has always done this, although, I don’t know what their current timeframe is for sunset reviews. It may be ten or fifteen years instead of the eight proposed by this bill. I have seen our board go through several of them.

However, SB 472 unreasonably restricts the PERD in how it conducts a review and in the recommendations it can make. The bill presupposes that a pound of cure is better than an ounce of prevention.

SB 472 also:

• Establishes a dangerous state policy for occupational regulations and the boards of this state.
• Establishes a dangerous hierarchy of least restrictive regulation criteria.
• Establishes a dangerous rebuttable presumption that consumers are sufficiently protected by market competition and private remedies.

This legislation is not coming from the concerns of West Virginia citizens. It is coming from outside special interest groups, like the letter states, with some ulterior political motive, and it is being forced on us with little or no opportunity for input.

You can go to the legislature’s website at www.wvlegislature.gov and read the bill for yourself if you have not already done so, but remember, time is of the essence so please do so quickly.

Thank you again for help.

John L. Green, Chairman
WVSPS Legislative Committee