House Bill 1880 would eliminate the five-year rolling timeline for architecture applicants to successfully pass each section of their examination for registration

The process for people seeking to pursue an architectural career in Washington could be simplified if a bill from Rep. Stephanie McClintock becomes law. House Bill 1880 would eliminate the five-year rolling timeline for architecture applicants to successfully pass each section of their examination for registration. The bill unanimously passed out of the House Consumer Protection and Business Committee today.

“The National Council of Architectural Registration Board has found that this outdated policy disproportionately impacts women and candidates of color,” said McClintock, R-Vancouver. “It has created an undue burden for people who are having children. It has also hurt those military members who must request special consideration to get extensions on the rolling clocks. It’s time to remove this timeline and make the architectural licensing process less burdensome.”

Under current law, to qualify for registration as an architect in Washington, an applicant must be of good moral character, be at least 18 years of age, and must pass the required examination.

The Washington State Board for Architects Board is responsible for determining the examination’s scope, content, and grading process, which must be held at least annually. Applicants who fail to pass any section of the examination are permitted to retake the failed parts.

However, applicants have only five years from the date of the first passed examination section to pass all remaining sections. If the entire examination is not successfully completed within the five years, then any sections passed more than five years prior must be retaken.

If an applicant fails to pass all remaining sections within the initial five-year period, the applicant is given a new five-year period from the date of the second oldest passed section. All sections must be passed within a single five-year period for the applicant to pass the examination successfully.

“This change makes perfect sense, and it will eliminate unnecessary pressure on those individuals who want to pursue a career in architecture in Washington,” said McClintock. “Hopefully, this will help people move forward in their career goals.”

Under House Bill 1880, with the five-year rolling period removed, architectural applicants would be permitted to retake any failed sections of the examination as the Board prescribes.

The 2024 legislative session began on Jan. 8 and is scheduled to run 60 days.

Information provided by Washington State House Republicans, houserepublicans.wa.gov