House Bill 3182 Hearing Scheduled for July 10

We just became aware that the proposed Massachusetts House Bill 3182 hearing has been scheduled for July 10 at 10:30 a.m. in Room A-2 at the State House. To read the full text of the bill go to http://www.mass.gov/legis/hbillsrch.htm and type in 3182. Unfortunately we are not aware of changes (if any) to this bill.

As you know The Underground along with other organizations such as NELDHA, APLD and ALCM are very concerned about this bill and it's potential affects on our industry. Please visit http://www.apldne.org/legislation.htm for more information about this critical issue. If you are concerned as we are, then we suggest you write your legislators immediately and make a point to attend this upcoming hearing on Tuesday.

In particular, we are concerned with the following:

- that the bill's intention is to cancel the profession of "designer". The "related professions" only include landscape architects - page 5 section

- that the danger of this bill is not so much in the procurement of state projects as it is in the fact that Landscape Designers will not be allowed to compete in any project at all that receives state funding, which may include private and municipal institutions.

- that in order for professionals to qualify for state funded projects they will be required to be licensed, registered or certified by the Commonwealth. Currently, there is no such program in place for Landscape Design professionals. Only Landscape Architects, Land Surveyors and Professional Engineers are registered by the Commonwealth. While it has yet to be a problem, passage of this proposed legislation could significantly affect what professions are recognized by the Commonwealth.

- It is very unclear what is meant by "certified" in the context of this proposed legislation. Within the green industry, the Commonwealth does not certify individuals or currently recognize certifications without some additional process of registration.

If you would like to find out more information about this bill and the upcoming public hearing, please contact Heidi Kost-Gross, president of NELDHA, who will be happy to answer your questions.