Bill Text: CA SB339 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Introduced

California Senate Bill 339 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Engineers, land surveyors, and geologists and geophysicists: nondisclosure agreements: reporting.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-07-30 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 145, Statutes of 2019. [SB339 Detail]

Download: California-2019-SB339-Introduced.html

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 339

Introduced by Senator Jones

February 19, 2019

An act to amend Section 8776 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to professions and vocations.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 339, as introduced, Jones. Land surveyors.

The Professional Land Surveyors’ Act provides for the licensure and regulation of land surveyors by the Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. The act requires a licensee to report to the board in writing the occurrence of specified events in relation to the licensee within 90 days of the date the licensee has knowledge of the event. Under the act, the failure of a licensee to report to the board in the time and manner required is grounds for disciplinary action. A violation of the act is a crime. The act provides that it does not impose a duty upon any licensee to report to the board the occurrence of any of those events either by or against any other licensee.

This bill would require a licensee who has direct knowledge of the occurrence of any of the specified events either by or against any other licensee to report the occurrence to the board. By imposing a new requirement on licensees, the violation of which would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandate local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YES

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 8776 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read:

8776.

(a) A licensee shall report to the board in writing the occurrence of any of the following events that occurred on or after January 1, 2008, within 90 days of the date the licensee has knowledge of the event:

(1) The conviction of the licensee of any felony.

(2) The conviction of the licensee of any other crime that is substantially related to the qualifications, functions, and duties of a licensed land surveyor.

(3) A civil action settlement or administrative action resulting in a settlement against the licensee in any action alleging fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, breach or violation of contract, negligence, incompetence, or recklessness by the licensee in the practice of land surveying if the amount or value of the settlement is greater than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000).

(4) A civil action judgment or binding arbitration award, or administrative action resulting in a judgment or binding arbitration award, against the licensee in any action alleging fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, breach or violation of contract, negligence, incompetence, or recklessness by the licensee in the practice of land surveying if the amount or value of the judgment or binding arbitration award is twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) or greater.

(b) The report required by subdivision (a) shall be signed by the licensee and set forth the facts that constitute the reportable event. If the reportable event involves the action of an administrative agency or court, the report shall set forth the title of the matter, court or agency name, docket number, and the dates the reportable event occurred.

(c) A licensee shall promptly respond to oral or written inquiries from the board concerning the reportable events, including inquiries made by the board in conjunction with license renewal.

(d) ~~Nothing in this section shall impose a duty upon any licensee to report to the board~~ A licensee who has direct knowledge of the occurrence of any of the events set forth in subdivision (a) either by or against any other ~~licensee.~~ licensee shall report the occurrence to the board.

(e) Failure of a licensee to report to the board in the time and manner required by this section shall be grounds for disciplinary action.

(f) For purposes of this section, a conviction includes the initial plea, verdict, or finding of guilt; a plea of no contest; or pronouncement of sentence by a trial court even though the conviction may not be final or sentence actually imposed until all appeals are exhausted.

SEC. 2.

No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.