Testimony on HB 4913 and HB 4914 — James Stevens, PE, OHM Advisors

Summary

Testimony from James Stevens, PE, Vice President of Engineering at OHM Advisors, opposing HB 4913 and HB 4914. The testimony states that the bills weaken educational rigor and firm oversight, jeopardizing Michigan's infrastructure and public safety. It says current law allows the board to review degrees that are not accredited for equivalency, and that the proposed language could open applications for engineering degrees that did not meet the requirements to become accredited. It also states that HB 4914 would promote leaders and owners of design firms who have not been through the education and training required for licensure.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Cite this document

“Testimony on HB 4913 and HB 4914 — James Stevens, PE, OHM Advisors.” Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2025-10-30-testimony-hb-4913-hb-4914-james-stevens-pe-ohm-advisors-592-e997671853/, SHA-256 0dedf0f9f6294c22574acb80aaea6363eefaa1dbc9ff43c291d81647099b3e77.

Full text

To whom it may concern,

As a licensed engineer, I oppose HB 4913 & 4914 because they weaken educational rigor
and firm oversight, jeopardizing Michigan’s infrastructure and public safety.

 As a previous member of the State Board of Professional Engineers, I reviewed licensure
applications as it relates to the current educational requirements. The current law allows
for the board to review degrees that are not accredited for the equivalency (ie. degrees from
other other countries). The proposed language could open up applications for engineering
degrees that did not meet the requirements to become accredited. The State Board should
not be in the business of accrediting degrees. If the committee would like to provide more
clarity in the language, I would suggest the following, “…or the equivalent of a
baccalaureate degree from an AEC accredited program”.

HB 4914 would promote leaders/owners of design firms that have not been through the
education and training that is required to achieve licensure. Having the majority of decision
makers of these firms without the education and training that includes the foundational
principle of putting public health and safety above all else jeopardizes Michigan.

The public, health, and safety of the public is paramount. The current standards in our
State have served as well and they should not be relaxed.


JAMES STEVENS, PE
VICE PRESIDENT OF ENGINEERING
OHM Advisors®
D (248) 751-3102 | M (248) 396-8939 | O (248) 751-3100
Advancing Communities®
OHM-Advisors.com | LinkedIn | Facebook | Vimeo
OHM Advisors is an award winning design firm and workplace.

File and source

File: 2025-10-30_testimony_hb-4913-hb-4914-james-stevens-pe-ohm-advisors_59245.pdf
Size: 27,802 bytes
SHA-256: 0dedf0f9f6294c22574acb80aaea6363eefaa1dbc9ff43c291d81647099b3e77
Our copy: 2025-10-30_testimony_hb-4913-hb-4914-james-stevens-pe-ohm-advisors_59245.pdf
Original: No public link identified.