Hello all, I'm new here and have a few questions on welding certification.

I was a L.A. certified welder through AWS and stopped to do video graphics for eight years. I have moved to Nevada (Las Vegas) and I'm finding the pay in graphics just is not going to cut it. So, do to the summer heat I was looking into becoming a certified welding inspector then welding in 120 degrees. My questions are, do I pay to get my welding license current or do I have to re-test?  Can my background welding be accreted towards a welding inspector's certification (CWI)?

Thank you in advance for your comments,
Matt