AN ACT Relating to requiring the Washington state department of agriculture to approve the comparable recertification standards of private entities for the purposes of waiving the recertification requirements under the Washington pesticide control act; and amending RCW 15.58.233.

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

Sec. 1.  RCW 15.58.233 and 2003 c 212 s 7 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The director may renew any license issued under this chapter subject to the recertification standards identified in subsection (2) of this section or an examination requiring new knowledge that may be required to perform in those areas licensed.

(2) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, all individuals licensed under this chapter shall meet the recertification standards identified in (a) or (b) of this subsection, every five years, in order to qualify for continuing licensure.

(a) Individuals licensed under this chapter may qualify for continued licensure through accumulation of recertification credits. Individuals licensed under this chapter shall accumulate a minimum of forty department-approved credits every five years with no more than fifteen credits allowed per year.

(b) Individuals licensed under this chapter may qualify for continued licensure through meeting the examination requirements necessary to become licensed in those areas in which the licensee operates.

(3) At the termination of a licensee's five-year recertification period, the director ((may)) shall waive the recertification requirements if the licensee can demonstrate that he or she is meeting comparable recertification standards through:

(a) Another state or jurisdiction ((or through a federal environmental protection agency-approved government agency plan));

(c) A private entity that has been approved by the department. The department shall confer with private entities offering continuing education programs that include pest management credit accreditation and accumulation to develop an effective and efficient system to coordinate pest management credit accounting. The pest management credit accounting system must accord with the goals and other requirements of the department's pesticide license recertification program and this chapter. If the department and the private entity or entities agree on the substantive provisions of the system, the department shall develop an implementation strategy for private entities pursuing pesticide credit reciprocity. The department shall submit a report to the legislature on its collaborative efforts, pest management credit accounting system, and implementation strategy by December 31, 2015.

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