NCEES is pushing all the states to implement this requirement at the same time, that is why it is 1/1/2015 to give NCEES 8 years to lobby the change. No state is obligated to implement all or even part of the NCEES Model Law, but an increasing number have implemented it, some intact and some with local mods.
The people at NCEES perceive a failure in the education provided by ABET-accredited engineering schools. They also think that adding 30 hours of post BS will "fix" this. I disagree, but I didn't participate in the committee work that led to the change in the Model Law. Reading through the NCEES newsletters (that any of us could have looked at over the last few years), the opinions in this thread might have been influential, but they weren't heard.
I think rbcoulter has the "grandfathering" issue right--existing registrations will almost certainly be grandfathered (possibly with some changes in the PDH rules), but it might be really hard for a grandfathered PE to get reciprocity into another state.
David