The Board shall have the following powers and duties:
(a) Prepare and offer the certification examination to the professional planner’s license candidates at least once (1) a year. The examination shall cover all the subjects germane to the practice of professional planner at the time the examination is given. The scope of the examination and the methods and procedures covered therein shall be regulated by the Board. The Board shall provide in its regulations that before the examination, the candidates shall receive an orientation to familiarize them with the certification procedure, the norms that govern the administering of the examination, the type of examination and its method of evaluation, as well as the regulations of the Board. To such effects, the Board shall prepare and publish a handbook which contains all the information related to the certification exam, a copy of which shall be available and handed to every person who applies to take the examination. The deadline to apply for the certification examination shall be published for three (3) consecutive days in two (2) newspapers of general circulation, thirty (30) days before the deadline to file the application for admission to the certification examination.
The Board shall adopt rules granting the candidates who fail one or more parts of the examination, the right to examine their answer sheets, receive their specific score by question, and request the reconsideration of the examination grading. The Board shall be advised by professional experts on the techniques of preparing examinations, with the purpose of ensuring the validity thereof as instruments to measure knowledge and skills.
(b) Authorize the practice of the profession of professional planner by granting a license to those persons who meet the requirements and conditions established in this chapter.
(c) Examine those persons who apply for the license and qualify therefor, pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.
(d) Deny, suspend or revoke licenses for the reasons consigned in this chapter.
(e) Keep a registry of the licenses issued, which shall include a list of all professional planners who are authorized by law to practice the profession which shall be signed by the person admitted when his/her license is awarded. Registered professional planners shall have the right to be issued the corresponding document authorizing them to practice the profession of professional planner. The licenses shall bear the name and surname of the registered person, the corresponding license number and the signatures of the Chairperson and Secretary of the Board, under the seal thereof.
(f) Select a Chairperson from among its members.
(g) Hold those meetings and sessions that are needed to perform its duties.
(h) Keep minutes of the sessions and meetings held.
(i) Adopt regulations for its internal operation, which shall be approved within the term of six (6) months after the approval of this act.
(j) Consider the violations of this chapter, for which it shall appoint an Ethics Committee constituted by five (5) professional planners who are not members of the Board nor are the injured party, nor have any interest or relationship with the defendant. The Committee shall investigate the cases on its own initiative, or through a complaint filed by the injured party before said body, or through a duly licensed professional planner, or shall determine the action to be taken against the defendant party.
(k) Adopt an official seal for the handling of its official business.
(l) Perform any action and shall have any other powers, besides the ones consigned, that are needed to comply with the provisions of this chapter.
(m) Issue Planner-in-Training Certificates to the persons who so request and are qualified therefor according to the requirements established by the same.
History —Aug. 23, 1996, No. 160, § 5; Aug. 9, 2008, No. 219, § 2.