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Committee releases bill to clarify engineer licensing and successor engineer definition
Summary
The House Sunset Committee voted to release HB 319, which clarifies the statutory definition of “successor engineer” and adjusts exam timing for experience-based professional engineering certification; the Delaware Association of Professional Engineers sponsored the change and reported no substantive opposition during outreach.
Representative Gray presented House Bill 319, saying the measure clarifies how the law defines a “successor engineer” (the person who takes over engineering responsibility for a prior project) and removes language that requires experience-track candidates to take the fundamentals-of-engineering exam in college. The sponsor said the bill preserves the two-exam requirement for engineers who qualify by experience but aligns the timing and wording with that pathway.
Joe Jackabouchi, who said he serves on the association’s council and is past president of the Delaware Association of Professional Engineers, described the changes as “cleaning up the language, and providing a little bit more clarity on the definition and how you become a professional engineer.” He told the committee the association advertised the proposal in its newsletter and did not receive substantive opposition from members.
A committee member asked how many other jurisdictions take a similar approach. Jackabouchi said the National Council for Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCEES) indicated roughly 30–38 member boards — about three-quarters of boards — have similar language or guidance.
Staff opened public comment and reported no virtual commenters for HB 319; the committee then moved to a roll-call motion to release the bill. The chair announced the motion passed and the bill was released from committee; the transcript records that the required number of votes was received but does not list a roll-call tally.
The bill will be posted on the legislative website and, if it receives sufficient signatures for release, will be announced on the House floor as the next step in the process.
