CLEAR

Texas: another attempt to license landmen

Petroleum landmen handle mineral rights agreements and come from a variety of backgrounds including legal and business. Texas state representatives Charlie Geren and Marc Veasey are trying once again to gain licensing for landmen and for right-of-way agents. Earlier 

efforts to license landmen have not gained legislative support and the American Association of Professional Landmen (AAPL), which offers a variety of educational offerings for its members, will not work toward developing a licensing bill for the 2009 Texas legislature. 

UK: England and Wales law firm regulation needs "shake-up"

The College of Law's legal services policy institute says the regulation of corporate law needs an "urgent shake-up" to restore public confidence. A new paper from the institute puts forward options for revamping the regulation of firms serving corporate and commercial clients. Read more.

Florida: no fish pedicures allowed

Florida is the latest state to outlaw fish pedicures. A spokeswoman for the Department of Business and Professional Regulation said the concern is proper sanitation since there is no way to disinfect the water between customers. Other states outlawing the practice are Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Texas, and Washington. Read more.  

NASBA: call for standards convergence

Invoking states' rights, the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) has again expressed concern to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over its “Roadmap For The Potential Use Of Financial Statements Prepared In Accordance With International Financial Reporting Standards By U.S. Issuers.”  Accountancy boards in the United States use the standards of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). The SEC plan calls for adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) developed by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). This outcome would create difficulties for US practitioners whose state boards are not obligated to accept SEC-adopted standards. NASBA continues its call for convergence of the IFRS and FASB standards. Read NASBA's response to the SEC.  

ACP: addressing the shortage of primary care physicians

The American College of Physicians (ACP) has issued a policy monograph on how nurse practitioners and physicians can work together to improve services during a growing shortage of primary care physicians. Nurse Practitioners in Primary Care contains seven position statements including: Licensing and certification exams for nurse practitioners should be developed by the discipline of nursing, based on standardized training involved in graduating from advanced practice nursing programs and scope of practice statutes and regulations. ACP therefore opposes use of Step 3 of the U.S. Medical Licensing Exam and certification by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) for the [Doctor of Nursing Practice]. 

Georgia: periodic reviews proposed for regulatory boards

Secretary of State Karen Handel has announced the introduction of requested legislation requiring the Georgia Occupational Regulatory Review Council (GORRC) to perform periodic reviews of each regulatory board. In 2008, the secretary ordered a comprehensive external audit of the Professional Licensing Boards Division's operations which found numerous inefficiencies. Read more.

Wisconsin: DRL requests first fees increase since 2001

The Wisconsin Department of Regulation and Licensing (DLR) has proposed that the legislature authorize a $7.6 million increase in professional licensing fees. The agency says this is the first increase since 2001 and is not tied to the state's current budget deficit. Read more.

Maryland: health boards audit report lists concerns

The Office of Legislative Audits has released a report on the Health Professional Boards and Commission, the State Board of Physicians, and the State Board of Nursing, for the period June 1 2005-January 31, 2008. Expressed concerns include weaknesses in financial and security internal controls. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH), which oversees these boards, does not agree with all findings. Read the report.

Minnesota: Oral Health Practitioners coming soon

State legislators are working on completing their 2008 agreement to authorize Oral Health Practitioners, a category of mid-level workers who can perform basic dental procedures on their own. These procedures will likely include tooth repair and restoration. Read more.  

Alaska: accountancy board meeting its mission

The Board of Public Accountancy is proactive and does a good job of protecting the public, says the Division of Legislative Audit. Read the sunset report.