Public Act 0993 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB4535 Enrolled LRB098 19304 ZMM 54456 b

Public Act 098-0993

AN ACT concerning regulation.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Architecture Practice Act of 1989 is amended by changing Section 11 as follows:

(225 ILCS 305/11) (from Ch. 111, par. 1311)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2020)

Sec. 11. Application for original license. Applications for original licensure shall be made to the Department in writing on forms prescribed by the Department and shall be accompanied by the required fee, which is not refundable. Any such application shall require information as in the judgment of the Department will enable the Department to pass on the qualifications of the applicant to practice architecture. The Department may require an applicant, at the applicant's expense, to have an evaluation of the applicant's education in a foreign country by an evaluation service approved by the Board in accordance with rules prescribed by the Department.

An applicant who has graduated from an architectural program outside the United States or its territories and whose first language is not English shall submit certification of passage of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and a test of spoken English as defined by rule. However, any such applicant who subsequently earns an advanced degree from an accredited educational institution in the United States or its territories shall not be subject to this requirement.

(Source: P.A. 96-610, eff. 8-24-09.)

Section 10. The Professional Engineering Practice Act of 1989 is amended by changing Section 8 as follows:

(225 ILCS 325/8) (from Ch. 111, par. 5208)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2020)

Sec. 8. Applications for licensure.

(a) Applications for licensure shall (1) be on forms prescribed and furnished by the Department, (2) contain statements made under oath showing the applicant's education and a detailed summary of the applicant's technical work, and (3) contain references as required by the Department.

(b) Applicants shall have obtained the education and experience as required in Section 10 or Section 11 prior to submittal of application for licensure. Allowable experience shall commence at the date of the baccalaureate degree, except:

(1) Credit for one year of experience shall be given for a graduate of a baccalaureate curriculum providing a cooperative program, which is supervised industrial or field experience of at least one academic year which alternates with periods of full-time academic training, when such program is certified by the university, or

(2) Partial credit may be given for professional engineering experience as defined by rule for employment prior to receipt of a baccalaureate degree if the employment is full-time while the applicant is a part-time student taking fewer than 12 hours per semester or 8 hours per quarter to earn the degree concurrent with the full-time engineering experience.

(3) If an applicant files an application and supporting documents containing a material misstatement of information or a misrepresentation for the purpose of obtaining licensure or enrollment or if an applicant performs any fraud or deceit in taking any examination to qualify for licensure or enrollment under this Act, the Department may issue a rule of intent to deny licensure or enrollment and may conduct a hearing in accordance with Sections 26 through 33 and Sections 37 and 38 of this Act.

The Board may conduct oral interviews of any applicant under Sections 10, 11, or 19 to assist in the evaluation of the qualifications of the applicant.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to supplement the application, when requested by the Board, by provision of additional documentation of education, including transcripts, course content and credentials of the engineering college or college granting related science degrees, or of work experience to permit the Board to determine the qualifications of the applicant. The Department may require an applicant, at the applicant's expense, to have an evaluation of the applicant's education in a foreign country by a nationally recognized evaluating service approved by the Department.

An applicant who graduated from an engineering program outside the United States or its territories and whose first language is not English shall submit certification of passage of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and a test of spoken English as defined by rule. However, any such applicant who subsequently earns an advanced degree from an accredited educational institution in the United States or its territories shall not be subject to this requirement.

(Source: P.A. 96-626, eff. 8-24-09; 96-850, eff. 6-1-10.)

Section 15. The Structural Engineering Practice Act of 1989 is amended by changing Section 9 as follows:

(225 ILCS 340/9) (from Ch. 111, par. 6609)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2020)

Sec. 9. Applications for original licenses shall be made to the Department in writing on forms prescribed by the Department and shall be accompanied by the required fee, which is not refundable. The application shall require such information as in the judgment of the Department will enable the Department to pass on the qualifications of the applicant for a license. The Department may require an applicant, at the applicant's expense, to have an evaluation of the applicant's education in a foreign county by a nationally recognized evaluation service approved by the Department in accordance with rules prescribed by the Department.

An applicant who graduated from a structural engineering program outside the United States or its territories and whose first language is not English shall submit certification of passage of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and a test of spoken English as defined by rule. However, any such applicant who subsequently earns an advanced degree from an accredited educational institution in the United States or its territories shall not be subject to this requirement.

(Source: P.A. 96-610, eff. 8-24-09.)

Effective Date: 1/1/2015