SCS/SB 704 - This act modifies the qualification requirements for enrolling as a land surveyor-in-training. Currently a person must be over the age of twenty-one in order to enroll. The act lowers this qualifying age to at least twenty-one or older. Currently a person must either complete one of three education requirements in order to enroll. The first requirement mandates that the applicant for enrollment receive a baccalaureate degree in approved curriculum including twelve semester hours of approved surveying course work which includes at least six semester hours of legal aspects of boundary surveying. This act changes the number of hours of approved curriculum to thirty semester hours, two of which must be in the legal aspects of boundary surveying. The second educational option requires the applicant to pass sixty hours of college credit which includes at least twenty semester hours of approved surveying course work including at least two semester hours in the legal aspects of boundary surveying. In addition to the course work, the applicant must also demonstrate one year of combined professional office and field experience. This act states that thirty semester hours out of the sixty required must be of approved curriculum and six of those semester hours must be in legal aspects of boundary surveying in addition to the professional experience. The third educational track requires the applicant to pass twelve semester hours of approved surveying course work which includes two semester hours in the legal aspects of land surveying in addition to at least two years of combined professional office and field experience. This act states that the applicant must earn at least thirty semester hours of approved course work which includes six semester hours of legal aspects of land surveying in combination with two years of office and field experience. This educational requirement option shall expire January 1, 2023. The requirements provided for under current statute shall expire on December 31, 2018, and the new requirements for a surveyor-in-training applicant provided for in this act shall become effective January 1, 2019. Currently, a person may apply for licensure as a professional land surveyor who has been enrolled as a land surveyor-in-training and has presented evidence of four years field and office experience. This act states that up to one-half of the years of experience may overlap with experience requirements for other professional requirements required for other professions provided in Chapter 327. This act is substantially similar to HB 2131 (2014). JESSICA BAKER