HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 1418

As Amended by the Senate

Title: An act relating to evaluating military training and experience toward meeting licensing requirements.

Brief Description: Concerning evaluating military training and experience toward meeting certain professional licensing requirements.

Sponsors: Representatives Rolfes, McCune, Appleton, Kirby, Kelley, Zeiger, Seaquist, Finn, Haigh, Dammeier, Angel, Jinkins, Stanford and Smith.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Business & Financial Services: 1/27/11, 1/28/11 [DP].

Floor Activity:

Passed House: 2/7/11, 92-0.

Senate Amended.

Passed Senate: 4/12/11, 46-0.

Majority Report: Do pass. Signed by 12 members: Representatives Kirby, Chair; Kelley, Vice Chair; Bailey, Ranking Minority Member; Buys, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Blake, Condotta, Hurst, Parker, Pedersen, Rivers, Ryu and Stanford.

Staff: Alison Hellberg (786-7152).

Background:

The Department of Licensing (Department) regulates certain businesses and professions. Each regulated business and profession has a separate set of laws. Some businesses and professions, such as cosmetologists and security guards, are under the authority of the Director of the Department (Director) and others, such as architects and engineers, are under a board or commission charged with regulating the particular business or profession.

Cosmetology, Barbering, Esthetics, and Manicuring.

The Department regulates cosmetology, barbering, manicuring, and esthetics. A person must be licensed to practice these professions. In order to be licensed, an applicant must complete the required education and successfully pass an examination. Applicants may complete the education requirements either by graduating from a school licensed by the Department or by completing a state-approved apprenticeship program.

Minimum training hours at a school consist of:

• cosmetologist, 1,600 hours;

• barber, 1,000 hours;

• manicurist, 600 hours;

• esthetician, 600 hours; and

• instructor-trainee, 500 hours.

Minimum training hours in an apprenticeship program consist of:

• cosmetologist, 2,000 hours;

• barber, 1,200 hours;

• manicurist, 800 hours; and

• esthetician, 800 hours.

Engineers and Land Surveyors.

Engineers and land surveyors must be registered by the Board of Registration for Engineers and Land Surveyors (Board) in order to practice engineering or land surveying in Washington. Candidates for registration as an engineer or land surveyor must have eight years of appropriate work experience and must have successfully passed the required examinations. Applicants may substitute undergraduate study in an approved engineering or land surveying school or college for up to four years of the work experience requirements. The Board may also approve up to one year of appropriate postgraduate study.

Security Guards.

Security guards are licensed by the Department and must satisfy training requirements established by the Director in order to be licensed.

Summary of Bill:

The Department must develop a process to evaluate military training and experience that may be applied toward meeting the training and educational requirements for cosmetologists, barbers, manicurists, estheticians, instructor-trainees, and security guards. The Board must develop a process to evaluate military training and experience that may be applied toward meeting the training and educational requirements for engineers and land surveyors.

EFFECT OF SENATE AMENDMENT(S):

Rather than requiring the regulatory body to develop a process to evaluate training and experience, military training and experience is considered to satisfy training and experience requirements unless the regulatory body determines that the training and experience is not substantially equivalent to the standards of the state.

Several regulated professions are added to the bill. These include architects, auctioneers, embalmers and funeral directors, real estate brokers and managing brokers, landscape architects, appraisers, court reporters, private investigators, bail bond agents, on-site wastewater treatment system designers, geologists, home inspectors, body piercing and tattooing licensees, camping resort operators, notaries public, driver training school instructors, timeshare salespersons, and professional athletic promoters.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony:

(In support) There has been significant work and studies done over the past several years to get jobs for veterans. This bill is an attempt to work with the Department to get highly qualified veterans into jobs and professions. This bill allows the Department to determine the best way to allow military experience and training to be applied toward meeting licensing requirements. This is also targeted at professions that the Department has some control over how to evaluate experience and training. A similar bill is working on Department of Health professions and similar work is being done in the higher education context.

The federal Department of Defense has found that state credentialing and licensing programs do create obstacles for veterans and their spouses to find work. This bill is really directed at those people who have the hours and experience and maybe a license in other another state. State licensing officials often do not recognize military experience. The military has programs in barbering, engineering, security guards, as well as many other professions. The military is trying to align military programs with private industry so it makes sense that states should be doing the same.

The military has already successfully worked with the Department to make it easier for those with the appropriate military experience to get a commercial driver's license.

People who are already qualified should be able to use the training they received in the military. In many cases military training and experience is superior to what is learned in other programs. There should be flexibility in meeting licensing requirements and they should not have to be met in a certain way.

(Opposed) None.

Persons Testifying: Representative Rolfes, prime sponsor; Mark San Souci, Department of Defense State Liaison Office; Gary Brackett, Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber; and Steve Lindstrom, Northwest Career Colleges Federation.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.