WEST virginia legislature

2021 regular session

ENGROSSED

Committee Substitute

for

House Bill 3072

By Delegates Steele and Foster

[Originating in the Committee on Government Organization; March 26, 2021]

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §19-1A-7, and to amend said code by adding thereto a new section designated §30-19-18, both relating to permitting the Director of the Division of Forestry to maintain a list of foresters in the state of West Virginia; defining the educational criteria for a person to be considered a forester or forestry technician; allowing for rulemaking; and establishing a sunset provision.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

Chapter 19. Agriculture.

ARticle 1A. Division of Forestry.

§19-1A-7. Maintaining a voluntary list of foresters; rulemaking.

(a) The Director of the Division of Forestry may maintain a list of consulting foresters and forest technicians in this state meeting the educational criteria to be considered a forester or forest technician in this state and publish such list on its website in a clear location. To be considered a forester, a person must have a four-year bachelor’s degree or equivalent from an accredited forestry or related program from any college or university or a combination of a two-year associate degree or equivalent in a forestry technician or related program and relevant required work experience. To be considered a forest technician, a person must hold a two-year associate degree or equivalent from a school with an accredited forestry technician or related program.

(b) Any person who is or holds himself or herself out to be a forester or forest technician may submit information reasonably required by the director to cause his or her name to be placed on a list maintained on the Division of Forestry’s website. Nothing in this section requires the director to place a person on a voluntary list.

(c) The division may prescribe rules pursuant to §29A-3-1 et seq., of this code relating to forms and applications to be placed on the list and may prescribe a rule to collect a fee from any person desiring to be placed on the list for the sole purpose of cost recovery.

Chapter 30. Professions and Occupations.

ARticle 19. Foresters.

§30-19-18. Sunset provision; effective date.

The state Board of Registration of Foresters established in this article shall terminate on June 30, 2022, unless continued by the Legislature. Pursuant to the provisions of §4-10-12 and §4-10-13 of this code the board shall commence all necessary activities pertinent to the wind-up of all board related activities. This section shall become effective July 1, 2021.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to sunset the Board of Registered Foresters and to permit the Division of Forestry to maintain a voluntary list of foresters in this state that consumers may search to engage in certain forest activities.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.