Title: An act relating to security guard training.

Brief Description: Changing provisions affecting security guards.

Sponsors: House Committee on Commerce & Labor (originally sponsored by Representatives Morrell, DeBolt, Lovick, Conway, Green, Hudgins and Kenney).

Brief History: Passed House: 3/07/07, 97-0.

Committee Activity: Labor, Commerce, Research & Development: 3/20/07, 3/22/07 [DPA].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON LABOR, COMMERCE, RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Majority Report: Do pass as amended.Signed by Senators Kohl-Welles, Chair; Keiser, Vice Chair; Clements, Ranking Minority Member; Franklin and Holmquist.

Staff: Sherry McNamara (786-7402)

Background: There are approximately 7,500 security guards licensed to work in Washington. The current training requirements for security guards include eight hours of preassignment training and eight hours of postassignment training.

The preassignment training must include a minimum of four hours of classroom instruction. A Department of Licensing (DOL) certified trainer is required to report the preassignment training to DOL. This training may be waived for a person who was employed full-time as a peace officer not more than five years prior to applying for a license and who passes the security guard examination.

Four hours of the postassignment training must be completed within the first six months of becoming licensed and the remaining four hours must be completed within the following six months. The eight-hour postassignment training requirement increases by one hour every year until 2012 for a total of 15 hours of training.

Summary of Substitute Bill: Modifies training requirements for security guards. Allows a security guard company to waive the initial postassignment training for security guards who transfer from another company and have appropriate records. Requires companies to retain all training records. Requires training records to contain a description of the topics covered, the name and signature of the trainer, and the name and signature of the security guard.

Changes the time frame for completion of postassignment training. Instead of being based on the individual security guard's license date, the time frame is determined by whether the security guard was licensed in the first half of the year or the last half of the year.

Requires security guards licensed in the first half of the year to complete their postassignment training by June 30 of the following year and those licensed in the second half of the year to complete their training by December 31 of the following year.

Changes the one-hour increase each year until 2012 postassignment training by separating the training into initial postassignment training and annual refresher training. Requires eight hours of initial postassignment training and four hours of annual refresher training.

States that no more than one hour of the annual refresher training may focus directly on customer service-related skills, and the remaining three hours must focus on emergency response, but not limited to knowledge of site post orders or life safety.

EFFECT OF CHANGES MADE BY RECOMMENDED AMENDMENT(S) AS PASSED COMMITTEE (Labor, Commerce, Research & Development): Security Guard companies are allowed to waive the initial postassignment training for guards who transfer from another company and have completed the training provided by their previous company.

The waiver of preassignment training for guards transferring companies has been removed.

Definitions have been deleted and substantive requirements in the definition section for the various types of training have been moved to the section that specifies training requirements.

A definition of "individual instruction" which includes on-the-job training and formal education techniques as distinguished from classroom instruction has been added.

The responsibilities of a department-certified trainer have been clarified.

The language in the bill has been made consistent and a subsection reference has been corrected.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony: PRO: All of the interested parties, the unions and the security guard companies, spent a lot of time on how to best provide for the training needs of security guards. The parties reached agreement on the language. The fiscal costs to the security guard companies to provide the training will be offset by the savings in the administrative costs of keeping track and certifying the guard's training.

Persons Testifying: PRO: Rod Kauffman, Building Owners and Managers Association; Michael Transue, Pierce County Security Services.