Bill > B26-0173

This bill, the Architect and Engineer Good Samaritan Amendment Act of 2025, aims to protect licensed architects, professional engineers, and professional land surveyors from civil lawsuits when they voluntarily offer their professional services during life-threatening emergencies in the "built environment," which refers to human-made surroundings like buildings and transportation systems. Specifically, these professionals will not be held liable for damages unless their actions involve gross negligence or willful misconduct. This protection applies if they act in good faith and without pay, during a declared public emergency or within 90 days after it ends, at the scene of the emergency, and under the direction or with the approval of a federal or District official. Crucially, they must also have completed a specific training program, like the California Governor’s Office Of Emergency Services Safety Assessment Program, to equip them for evaluating the safety of the built environment after a disaster.