Licensure: What Will the New Year Bring?

States up for Sunset Review in 2004: California, Oklahoma, West Virginia.
For 2005: Alaska, Connecticut, Mississippi, New Mexico, Tennessee

It is the stated goal of the American Society of Landscape Architects to see all 50 states and Washington, D.C., with licensure laws in effect by 2010. As 2003 draws to a close, 38 states have practice acts; of the remaining 12 states, nine have title acts, and three states (Colorado, Vermont and New Hampshire), along with Washington D.C., have no licensure law.

Earlier this year, Colorado landscape architects went before the state legislature to lobby for licensure, but the attempt failed. Advocates for Colorado licensure are reassessing their approach and have plans to return to the legislature next year.

The Vermont ASLA chapter submitted its application for licensure of the profession to the Office of Professional Regulation in early July, with pending legislation expected for sessions next year.

The licensure efforts in New Hampshire are focused on visibility for the profession and on incorporating a role for landscape architects in local regulations of site and landscape planning preparation, according to Gordon Leedy Jr., ASLA, a landscape architect and planner from the firm Vanasse, Hangen, Brustlin.

?EUR??,,????'??We do not have plans at this time to begin a legislative initiative for the biennium,?EUR??,,????'?? Leedy told LASN. ?EUR??,,????'??We may be in a position to begin something more substantial at the legislative level in the new session that begins in 2005.?EUR??,,????'??

Leedy added that in New Hampshire you need advance legislation through the system before the end of the biennial session or it dies.

?EUR??,,????'??In my opinion we will need all of the two years to get something passed,?EUR??,,????'?? he said. ?EUR??,,????'??We are also looking to raise funds to hire lobbying assistance.?EUR??,,????'??

In the past three years, eight states have enacted legislation to establish a new law or upgrade from a title to a practice act: Iowa, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon and Texas.