Georgia General Assembly Legislation Update (Important–Please Read!)

Dear GA URISA Members,

Georgia URISA represents hundreds of public and private sector professionals working in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and related fields in Georgia. Our members consist of surveyors and GIS professionals including leaders at the local and national levels and our associations have held conferences in concert with the Surveying and Mapping Society of Georgia (SAMSOG).

The legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly has begun for this calendar year. There are two bills so far that are likely to be of interest to our members.

HB 751 Is a bill authorizing the creation and funding of a Georgia Emergency Communications Authority that would oversee the 911 system. GA URISA supports this bill.

Another piece of legislation yet to be officially submitted by the Surveying and Mapping Society of Georgia (SAMSOG) is more concerning. The draft bill contains language that redefines the relationship between land surveying and other geospatial professions that is inconsistent with the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) model law and rules. URISA was a participant in the creation of the current NCEES model which clarifies the scope of the licensed professional practice for surveyors. While other states have had similar proposals to the draft SAMSOG bill, the most successful have had language that promotes the productive associations that have traditionally existed between surveyors and other geospatial professionals. The model NCEES language is consistent with a 2007 federal court ruling that found:

“It is also worth noting that the record unambiguously reflects that the provision of ‘mapping’ services in the modern marketplace includes a much broader scope of work than the traditional mapping work of land surveyors” (see MAPPS et. al v. U.S.A., Civil Action No. 1:06cv378).

URISA understands and supports the role of surveyors and their interaction with members of other geospatial professions. We want to assure you that we are watching to see what language is in a submitted bill and want to assure you we are advocating on your behalf.

Please contact us if you need any additional information.

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