This is an open letter to V.I. Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen:

I have discovered an unconstitutional law in the V.I. Code that perpetuates licensing of unqualified persons as professional engineers, architects, and land surveyors.

The local law states that a native resident of the territory is not required to have any college degree in engineering, and is not required to pass any examinations provided by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) to validate their competence to obtain licensure as a professional engineer (P.E.), architect, or land surveyor.

However, anyone not born in the territory must have earned a college degree in engineering and passed all the NCEES exams to qualify for a license in the territory.

Please review the the Dishonorable Engineering Law, which validates my claim regarding the stipulations in the V.I. Code that promote discrimination on the basis of nationality.

This law has fortified many incompetent individuals in the territory to gain power and authority, while plaguing its quality of life.

There is a possibility that more unconstitutional laws exists that perpetuate substandard licensing requirements for other professions in the territory.

Unfortunately, the substandard stipulations in the V.I. Code (Title: 27, Chapter 8; section; 283 (Professions and Occupations)) has not been updated since 1972.

I am requesting that you advocate the reformation of the law to require all existing "native son" engineers and new applicants regardless of their nationality to pass all the NCEES required examinations before licensure is granted to afford reciprocity of the territorial license in any U.S. state.

The inclusion of stipulations in the law addressing continuing education after licensure is also imperative.

The professional engineering liability insurance for "native son" engineers in the U.S Virgin Islands must be further reviewed since their P.E. license is not recognized by any national engineering boards, since they are not required to pass any of the necessary exams provided by the NCEES.

I am asking that you advocate this initiative for acceptable engineering safeguards for life, property, and welfare of the public to improve the quality of life for everyone in the territory.

- Wayne A. Allick Jr., E.I, is a civil engineer in the Virgin Islands.