AN ACT Relating to installation, maintenance, and related certification requirements for electric vehicle support equipment; amending RCW 19.28.211; adding a new section to chapter 19.28 RCW; and creating a new section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that consistent training standards for electric vehicle support equipment installations will provide interoperability, customer access, and reliability to electric vehicle support equipment. The legislature therefore intends to establish installation and related certification requirements for this specialty equipment.

(1) The department shall issue a certificate of competency to all applicants who have passed the examination provided in RCW 19.28.201, met the in-class education requirements of RCW 19.28.205 if applicable, and who have complied with RCW 19.28.161 through 19.28.271 and the rules adopted under this chapter. The certificate may include a photograph of the holder. The certificate shall bear the date of issuance, and shall expire on the holder's birthday. The certificate shall be renewed every three years, upon application, on or before the holder's birthdate. A fee shall be assessed for each certificate and for each annual renewal.

(2) If the certificate holder demonstrates to the department that he or she has satisfactorily completed an annual eight-hour continuing education course, the certificate may be renewed without examination by appropriate application unless the certificate has been revoked, suspended, or not renewed within ninety days after the expiration date. For pump and irrigation or domestic pump specialty electricians, the continuing education course may combine both electrical and plumbing education provided that there is a minimum of four hours of electrical training in the course.

(a) The contents and requirements for satisfactory completion of the continuing education course shall be determined by the director and approved by the board.

(b) The department shall accept proof of a certificate holder's satisfactory completion of a continuing education course offered in another state as meeting the requirements for maintaining a current Washington state certificate of competency if the department is satisfied the course is comparable in nature to that required in Washington state for maintaining a current certificate of competency.

(3) If the certificate is not renewed before the expiration date, the individual shall pay twice the usual fee. The department shall set the fees by rule for issuance and renewal of a certificate of competency. The fees shall cover but not exceed the costs of issuing the certificates and of administering and enforcing the electrician certification requirements of this chapter.

(4) ((The))Except for installation and maintenance work covered under the electric vehicle infrastructure training program certification established in section 3 of this act, the certificates of competency and temporary permits provided for in this chapter grant the holder the right to work in the electrical construction trade as a master electrician, journey level electrician, or specialty electrician in accordance with their provisions throughout the state and within any of its political subdivisions without additional proof of competency or any other license, permit, or fee to engage in such work.

(1) Effective July 1, 2023, all electric vehicle supply equipment intended to be available for public use and located on the customer side of the electric utility service point as defined in the 2020 national electrical code, when installed, maintained, or replaced as a public work as defined under RCW 39.04.010, shall be installed, maintained, and replaced by appropriately licensed electrical contractors and appropriately certified electricians meeting the following qualifications:

(a) On each jobsite where such electric vehicle supply equipment is being installed, maintained, or replaced, at least one appropriately certified electrician must be present, at any given time, who holds an electric vehicle infrastructure training program certification as specified by rule of the department.

(b) On each jobsite where the installation, maintenance, or replacement of such electric vehicle supply equipment includes one or more charging ports intended for supplying 25 kilowatts or more to a vehicle, at least 25 percent of the total certified electricians present on the jobsite at any given time must hold an electric vehicle infrastructure training program certification as specified by rule of the department.

(c) Exemptions from electrical contractor licensing and electrician certification laws in this chapter apply to work described in this section.

(2) Subsection (1) of this section does not apply to electric vehicle charging infrastructure and equipment that is subject to any agreements or contracts with any public agency entered into prior to January 1, 2022, even if it is funded or authorized after January 1, 2022.