Legislative Response Committee

The Legislative Response Committee (LRC) has been established to provide expert engineering insights and support in response to legislative matters that affect the engineering community and the public. The LRC will ensure that engineering perspectives are appropriately represented in legislative discussions and documents.

Chair: John Adams, PE, Lochner

Membership: The Legislative Response Committee (LRC) is comprised of professionals representing an array of engineering fields. PENC membership is required to serve on the LRC. Those that would like to volunteer to serve on the LRC should come with a commitment of availability, responsibility, integrity, honesty, and collaboration. While not a requirement, volunteers are requested to serve a minimum three-year term.

Committee’s Charge: When called upon by the PENC Executive Committee (EC) and/or PENC’s representing lobbyists, the LRC is charged with reviewing and preparing responses to potential or proposed NC laws, rules, or regulation changes, which may impact Professional Engineering licensure or the public health, safety, and wellbeing of North Carolina citizens from a professional engineering perspective. In addition, LRC members, at the request of the PENC EC and/or lobbyists, will meet with North Carolina General Assembly members or other publicly elected officials to clarify and/or explain the impacts of laws, rules, or regulation changes on public health, safety, and wellbeing. The LRC is committed to speaking from a position of recognized and accepted industry engineering practices and standards and not from opinion.

Work Time Frame: The LRC remains active year-round, being on standby for engagement direction from the PENC EC and/or lobbyists. The committee holds check-in meetings quarterly. Three of the check-in meetings are virtual only. One check-in meeting is held during the PENC Summer Conference with a virtual option for those unable to attend in-person. Check-in meeting attendance is not mandatory. Discussion topics at the check-in meetings may include laws, rules or regulation changes reviewed by the LRC and associated outcomes; potential laws, rules, or regulation changes identified by LRC members; lessons learned; presentations by members of the EC or lobbyists; etc.

How to Volunteer: Individuals interested in volunteering for the LRC can express their interest by contacting PENC at [email protected].

Committee Structure: The committee is led by a chairperson and co-chairperson. Membership of the LRC, based on an individual’s professional experience, is assigned to one or more of the 15 engineering disciplines identified by PENC. Each discipline has at least one (and no more than three) primary point of contact. The engineering disciplines are listed below:

1. Agricultural & Biological Engineering
2. Architectural
3. Chemical
4. Civil
5. Civil: Construction
6. Civil: Geotechnical
7. Civil: Structural
8. Civil: Transportation
9. Civil: Water Resources & Environmental
10. Environmental
11. Electrical & Computer
12. Mechanical
13. Metallurgical & Materials
14. Nuclear
15. Petroleum

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Chairperson: Serves as the primary liaison between the PENC EC and lobbyists and the LRC membership at-large. Organizes responses to calls for action by the PENC EXEC and/or lobbyists. Coordinates LRC members to meet with elected officials as needed. Sets the agenda for the committee’s quarterly check-in meetings. Actively recruits new LRC members. Encourages LRC members to participate in EPAC.
• Co-Chairperson: Supports the chairperson and assumes responsibilities in their absence.
• Engineering Discipline Point of Contact (POC): Receives communication from the chairperson and/or vice chairperson when action is requested by the PENC EC and/or lobbyists. Organizes members assigned to their respective engineering discipline to action. Communicates results of action back to the chairperson and/or vice chairperson.

Communications: General communication among the LRC members is conducted via email and virtual meetings.