H 0445

H‑0445.1 _____________________________________________

HOUSE BILL 1373

_____________________________________________

State of Washington 57th Legislature 2001 Regular Session

By Representatives B. Chandler, Clements, McMorris and Lisk

Read first time 01/24/2001. Referred to Committee on Commerce & Labor.

_1 AN ACT Relating to certificates of competency for specialty

_2 electricians; and amending RCW 19.28.161 and 19.28.191.

_3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

_4 Sec. 1. RCW 19.28.161 and 1997 c 309 s 1 are each amended to read

_5 as follows:

_6 (1) No person may engage in the electrical construction trade

_7 without having a current journeyman electrician certificate of

_8 competency or a current specialty electrician certificate of

_9 competency issued by the department in accordance with this

10 chapter. Electrician certificate of competency specialties include,

11 but are not limited to: Residential, domestic appliances, pump

12 and irrigation, limited energy system, signs, and nonresidential

13 maintenance.

14 (2) A person who is indentured in an apprenticeship program

15 approved under chapter 49.04 RCW for the electrical construction

16 trade or who is learning the electrical construction trade may

17 work in the electrical construction trade if supervised by a

18 certified journeyman electrician or a certified specialty

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_1 electrician in that electrician's specialty. All apprentices and

_2 individuals learning the electrical construction trade shall

_3 obtain an electrical training certificate from the department. The

_4 certificate shall authorize the holder to learn the electrical

_5 construction trade while under the direct supervision of a

_6 journeyman electrician or a specialty electrician working in his

_7 or her specialty. The holder of the electrical training certificate

_8 shall renew the certificate annually. At the time of renewal, the

_9 holder shall provide the department with an accurate list of the

10 holder's employers in the electrical construction industry for the

11 previous year and the number of hours worked for each employer. An

12 annual fee shall be charged for the issuance or renewal of the

13 certificate. The department shall set the fee by rule. The fee shall

14 cover but not exceed the cost of administering and enforcing the

15 trainee certification and supervision requirements of this

16 chapter. Apprentices and individuals learning the electrical

17 construction trade shall have their electrical training

18 certificates in their possession at all times that they are

19 performing electrical work. They shall show their certificates to

20 an authorized representative of the department at the

21 representative's request.

22 (3) Any person who has been issued an electrical training

23 certificate under this chapter may work if that person is under

24 supervision. Supervision shall consist of a person being on the

25 same job site and under the control of either a journeyman

26 electrician or an appropriate specialty electrician who has an

27 applicable certificate of competency issued under this chapter.

28 Either a journeyman electrician or an appropriate specialty

29 electrician shall be on the same job site as the noncertified

30 individual for a minimum of seventy-five percent of each working

31 day unless otherwise provided in this chapter.

32 (4) The ratio of noncertified individuals to certified

33 journeymen or specialty electricians working on a job site shall

34 be:

35 (a) Not more than two noncertified individuals working on any

36 one job site for every specialty electrician or journeyman

37 electrician working as a specialty electrician, except that the

38 ratio requirements shall be one certified specialty electrician or

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_1 journeyman electrician working as a specialty electrician to no

_2 more than four students enrolled in and working as part of an

_3 appropriate specialty training program at public community or

_4 technical colleges, nationally accredited technical or trade

_5 schools, or technical or trade schools licensed by the work force

_6 training and education coordinating board under chapter 28C.10

_7 RCW. In meeting the ratio requirements for students enrolled in an

_8 appropriate specialty training program at a trade school, a trade

_9 school may receive input and advice from the electrical board; and

10 (b) Not more than one noncertified individual working on any

11 one job site for every certified journeyman electrician, except

12 that the ratio requirements shall be one certified journeyman

13 electrician to no more than four students enrolled in and working

14 as part of an electrical construction program at public community

15 or technical colleges, ((~~or not-for-profit~~)) nationally accredited

16 ((~~trade or~~)) technical or trade schools, or technical or trade

17 schools licensed by the work force training and education

18 coordinating board under chapter 28C.10 RCW. In meeting the ratio

19 requirements for students enrolled in an electrical construction

20 program at a trade school, a trade school may receive input and

21 advice from the electrical board.

22 (5) An individual who has a current training certificate and

23 who has successfully completed or is currently enrolled in an

24 approved apprenticeship program ((or)), in an electrical

25 construction program, or in an appropriate specialty training

26 program at public community or technical colleges, ((~~or not-for-~~

27 ~~profit~~)) nationally accredited technical or trade schools, or

28 technical or trade schools licensed by the work force training and

29 education coordinating board under chapter 28C.10 RCW((,)) may

30 work without direct on-site supervision during the last six months

31 of meeting the practical experience requirements of this chapter.

32 ((~~(5)~~)) (6) The electrical contractor shall accurately verify

33 and attest to the electrical trainee hours worked by electrical

34 trainees on behalf of the electrical contractor.

35 Sec. 2. RCW 19.28.191 and 1997 c 309 s 3 are each amended to read

36 as follows:

37 (1) Upon receipt of the application, the department shall

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_1 review the application and determine whether the applicant is

_2 eligible to take an examination for the journeyman or specialty

_3 certificate of competency.

_4 (a) To be eligible to take the examination for a journeyman

_5 certificate the applicant must have:

_6 (i) Worked in the electrical construction trade for a minimum

_7 of four years employed full time, of which two years shall be in

_8 industrial or commercial electrical installation under the

_9 supervision of a journeyman electrician and not more than a total

10 of two years in all specialties under the supervision of a

11 journeyman electrician or an appropriate specialty electrician; or

12 (ii) Successfully completed an apprenticeship program approved

13 under chapter 49.04 RCW for the electrical construction trade.

14 (b) To be eligible to take the examination to become a

15 specialty electrician the applicant shall have:

16 (i) Worked in that specialty of the electrical construction

17 trade, under the supervision of a journeyman electrician or an

18 appropriate specialty electrician, for a minimum of two years

19 employed full time; or

20 (ii) Successfully completed an approved apprenticeship program

21 under chapter 49.04 RCW for the applicant's specialty in the

22 electrical construction trade.

23 (c) Any applicant for a journeyman certificate who has

24 successfully completed a two-year program in the electrical

25 construction trade at public community or technical colleges, or

26 not-for-profit nationally accredited technical or trade schools

27 licensed by the work force training and education coordinating

28 board under chapter 28C.10 RCW may substitute up to two years of

29 the technical or trade school program for up to two years of work

30 experience under a journeyman electrician. The applicant shall

31 obtain the additional two years of work experience required in

32 industrial or commercial electrical installation prior to the

33 beginning, or after the completion, of the technical school

34 program. Any applicant who has received training in the electrical

35 construction trade in the armed service of the United States may

36 be eligible to take the examination for the certificate of

37 competency.

38 (d) Any applicant for a specialty certificate who has

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_1 successfully completed an appropriate specialty training program

_2 at public community or technical colleges, nationally accredited

_3 technical or trade schools, or technical or trade schools licensed

_4 by the work force training and education coordinating board under

_5 chapter 28C.10 RCW may substitute up to two thousand hours of the

_6 technical or trade school program for up to two thousand hours of

_7 work experience under an electrician certified in the appropriate

_8 specialty. The applicant shall obtain the additional work

_9 experience required in the appropriate specialty prior to the

10 beginning, or after the completion, of the technical school

11 program.

12 (e) No other requirement for eligibility may be imposed.

13 (2) The department shall establish reasonable rules for the

14 examinations to be given applicants for certificates of

15 competency. In establishing the rules, the department shall consult

16 with the board. Upon determination that the applicant is eligible

17 to take the examination, the department shall so notify the

18 applicant, indicating the time and place for taking the

19 examination.

‑‑‑ END ‑‑‑

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