Committee advances bill adjusting professional engineering eligibility and experience requirements

The Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee gave House Bill 306 a favorable report after sponsors described a compromise between Eastern Kentucky University and the state engineering board that adjusts eligibility and experience requirements for professional engineering licensure.

Sponsor Rep. Matt Cook introduced the measure and invited Tony Cole of Sonnetz Consulting and Amy Scarborough of Eastern Kentucky University to explain the agreement. Cole said EKU’s engineering curriculum already exceeds the 45 coursework hours the bill requires for eligibility to pursue the professional-engineer route. The change makes students eligible to sit for the licensure exam but does not automatically confer a license, Cole said.

Cole said the bill also increases required post‑graduate experience from four years to six years for the route that leads to professional licensure. He described the change as a negotiated compromise reached with the engineering board.

Senators asked whether the bill affects contractors who pull permits for fire protection work. Cole and Scarborough said existing pathways (licensure as a fire protection contractor or other certifications) remain in place and that the bill does not displace those routes.

The committee adopted a motion and the bill passed with a favorable report.