Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Labor & Workplace Standards Committee

HB 2886

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Background:

The electrical laws are administered by the Department of Labor and Industries (Department). The regulatory scheme includes licensure for electrical contractors and certification for electricians. Electricians may be certified as journey level, or as multiple types of specialty electricians. Certification is not required for the telecommunications specialty. Most specialty scopes of work are established in rule. However, three specialty scopes are in statute. These are:

Restricted nonresidential maintenance (07). This specialty is limited to a maximum of 277 volts/20 amperes for lighting branch circuits or 250 volts/60 amperes for other circuits excluding repair circuit breakers.
Equipment repair (07E). This specialty involves servicing, maintaining, repairing, or replacing utilization equipment.
Telecommunications (09). This scope includes the installation, maintenance, and testing of telecommunications systems, equipment, and related specified work. Telecommunications systems are structured cabling systems that begin at the demarcation point between the local service provider and the customer's premises structured cabling system.

Summary of Bill:

The Department may modify the scopes of work for the restricted nonresidential maintenance, equipment repair specialty, and telecommunications electrical specialties. The Department may specify wiring, appliances, devices, or equipment by rule for the equipment repair and telecommunications specialties. For the nonresidential maintenance specialty, the Department may modify the scope by rule.