RECERTIFICATION
§ 130b.31. Recertification.
(a) At intervals of 3 years, final certified commercial, public or individual nutrient management specialists shall provide written documentation of having received continuing education and training in Department-approved training courses in nutrient management planning and nutrient management plan development. Training must address the specific areas in § 130b.11(c) and (d) (relating to determination of competence) for commercial and public specialists and § 130b.21(b) and (c) (relating to determination of competence) for individual specialists.
(b) Recertification credits approved by the Department will be given on the basis of attendance at approved training sessions, as provided in subsection (a). The Department will evaluate the training and assign the appropriate credits. Commercial and public specialists are required to obtain 20 credits with one quarter or 5 of those credits being obtained through Department or Commission conducted courses. Individual specialists are required to obtain 6 credits during the recertification interval. The Department may, if deemed necessary, require specific training for certified nutrient management specialists, in addition to the required training in § § 130b.11 and 130b.21. The Department will provide written notification to the certified nutrient management specialists of required specific training.
(c) Training will be approved for recertification credits at the rate of 1 credit per hour of applicable instruction, exclusive of coffee breaks, lunches, visits to exhibits, and the like. Credits will be assigned to each training session based upon the subjects covered and the amount of time expended on each subject. Credits assigned may be modified if either the content or length of the training substantially differs from the originally approved course.
(d) Sponsors of recertification training shall first submit a written request for course approval to the Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry, 2301 North Cameron Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17110-9408. A request shall be submitted to the Department at least 15 working days prior to the training date and include the following information:
(1) The name and phone number of the contact person who is coordinating the training.
(2) The specific location of the training.
(3) The date of the training.
(4) A listing of the speakers, subject matter and time allotted to each subject.
(5) A statement whether the training is open to the public and if there is a charge to attend.
(e) A recertification training course will be approved if at a minimum it consists of the same requirements as set forth in § 130b.11(c) and (d) and is conducted or sponsored by an educational institution, an association, a business, a governmental agency or other qualified source. Preapproval of recertification courses is vested solely with the Department.
(f) Falsification by a course sponsor of information required under this section may result in the withdrawal of credits or course approval, or both.
(g) If the Department or its designee is unable to monitor the training, the sponsor shall be responsible for verifying attendance and shall compile a list of Pennsylvania certified specialists in attendance. The list shall be returned to the Department within 10 working days following the training date and include the name of each person attending and their certification number.
(h) If a nutrient management specialist allows his final certification to expire and does not obtain recertification in accordance with this chapter, his final certification shall be suspended and the specialist must refrain from all duties relating to his certification until all delinquent recertification credits are acquired as described in subsection (b).
(i) If a nutrient management specialist whose final certification has been suspended as set forth in subsection (h) fails to complete delinquent recertification credits within 1 year from the expiration date of his final certification, then his final certification shall be revoked and that person shall again satisfy the requirements of § 130b.11 and § 130b.12 (relating to final certification) for commercial and public specialists, and § 130b.21 and § 130b.22 (relating to final certification) for individual specialists.
Authority The provisions of this § 130b.31 amended under 3 Pa.C.S. § 508(a).
Source The provisions of this § 130b.31 amended December 2, 2005, effective December 3, 2005, 35 Pa.B. 6504. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (220714) and (276863).
Cross References This section cited in 7 Pa. Code § 130b.2 (relating to definitions).
No part of the information on this site may be reproduced for profit or sold for profit.
This material has been drawn directly from the official Pennsylvania Code full text database. Due to the limitations of HTML or differences in display capabilities of different browsers, this version may differ slightly from the official printed version.
