BILL REQ. #: H-3167.3
State of Washington | 63rd Legislature | 2014 Regular Session |
Read first time 01/15/14. Referred to Committee on Labor & Workforce Development.
AN ACT Relating to telecommunications work experience for purposes of eligibility toward limited energy specialty electrician certification; and amending RCW 19.28.191.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1 RCW 19.28.191 and 2013 c 23 s 30 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) Upon receipt of the application, the department shall review
the application and determine whether the applicant is eligible to take
an examination for the master journey level electrician, journey level
electrician, master specialty electrician, or specialty electrician
certificate of competency.
(a) Before July 1, 2005, an applicant who possesses a valid journey
level electrician certificate of competency in effect for the previous
four years and a valid general administrator's certificate may apply
for a master journey level electrician certificate of competency
without examination.
(b) Before July 1, 2005, an applicant who possesses a valid
specialty electrician certificate of competency, in the specialty
applied for, for the previous two years and a valid specialty
administrator's certificate, in the specialty applied for, may apply
for a master specialty electrician certificate of competency without
examination.
(c) Before December 1, 2003, the following persons may obtain an
equipment repair specialty electrician certificate of competency
without examination:
(i) A person who has successfully completed an apprenticeship
program approved under chapter 49.04 RCW for the machinist trade; and
(ii) A person who provides evidence in a form prescribed by the
department affirming that: (A) He or she was employed as of April 1,
2003, by a factory-authorized equipment dealer or service company; and
(B) he or she has worked in equipment repair for a minimum of four
thousand hours.
(d) To be eligible to take the examination for a master journey
level electrician certificate of competency, the applicant must have
possessed a valid journey level electrician certificate of competency
for four years.
(e) To be eligible to take the examination for a master specialty
electrician certificate of competency, the applicant must have
possessed a valid specialty electrician certificate of competency, in
the specialty applied for, for two years.
(f) To be eligible to take the examination for a journey level
certificate of competency, the applicant must have:
(i) Worked in the electrical construction trade for a minimum of
eight thousand hours, of which four thousand hours shall be in
industrial or commercial electrical installation under the supervision
of a master journey level electrician or journey level electrician and
not more than a total of four thousand hours in all specialties under
the supervision of a master journey level electrician, journey level
electrician, master specialty electrician working in that electrician's
specialty, or specialty electrician working in that electrician's
specialty. Specialty electricians with less than a four thousand hour
work experience requirement cannot credit the time required to obtain
that specialty towards qualifying to become a journey level
electrician; or
(ii) Successfully completed an apprenticeship program approved
under chapter 49.04 RCW for the electrical construction trade.
(g)(i) To be eligible to take the examination for a specialty
electrician certificate of competency, the applicant must have:
(((i))) (A) Worked in the residential (as specified in WAC 296-46B-920(2)(a)), pump and irrigation (as specified in WAC 296-46B-920(2)(b)), sign (as specified in WAC 296-46B-920(2)(d)), limited
energy (as specified in WAC 296-46B-920(2)(e)), nonresidential
maintenance (as specified in WAC 296-46B-920(2)(g)), or other new
nonresidential specialties as determined by the department in rule
under the supervision of a master journey level electrician, journey
level electrician, master specialty electrician working in that
electrician's specialty, or specialty electrician working in that
electrician's specialty for a minimum of four thousand hours;
(((ii))) (B) Worked in the appliance repair specialty as determined
by the department in rule, restricted nonresidential maintenance as
determined by the department in rule, the equipment repair specialty as
determined by the department in rule, the pump and irrigation specialty
other than as defined by (g)(i)(A) of this subsection or domestic pump
specialty as determined by the department in rule, or a specialty other
than the designated specialties in (g)(i)(A) of this subsection for a
minimum of the initial ninety days, or longer if set by rule by the
department. The restricted nonresidential maintenance specialty is
limited to a maximum of 277 volts and 20 amperes for lighting branch
circuits and/or a maximum of 250 volts and 60 amperes for other
circuits, but excludes the replacement or repair of circuit breakers.
The initial period must be spent under one hundred percent supervision
of a master journey level electrician, journey level electrician,
master specialty electrician working in that electrician's specialty,
or specialty electrician working in that electrician's specialty.
After this initial period, a person may take the specialty examination.
If the person passes the examination, the person may work unsupervised
for the balance of the minimum hours required for certification. A
person may not be certified as a specialty electrician in the appliance
repair specialty or in a specialty other than the designated
((specialities)) specialties in (g)(i)(A) of this subsection, however,
until the person has worked a minimum of two thousand hours in that
specialty, or longer if set by rule by the department; or
(((iii))) (C) Successfully completed an approved apprenticeship
program under chapter 49.04 RCW for the applicant's specialty in the
electrical construction trade((; or)).
(((iv))) (ii) In meeting the training requirements for the pump and
irrigation or domestic pump specialties, the individual shall be
allowed to obtain the experience required by this section at the same
time the individual is meeting the experience required by RCW
18.106.040(1)(c). After meeting the training requirements provided in
this section, the individual may take the examination and upon passing
the examination, meeting additional training requirements as may still
be required for those seeking a pump and irrigation, or a domestic pump
specialty certificate as defined by rule, and paying the applicable
fees, the individual must be issued the appropriate certificate. The
department may include an examination for specialty plumbing
certificate defined in RCW 18.106.010(10)(c) with the examination
required by this section. The department, by rule and in consultation
with the electrical board, may establish additional equivalent ways to
gain the experience requirements required by this subsection.
Individuals who are able to provide evidence to the department, prior
to January 1, 2007, that they have been employed as a pump installer in
the pump and irrigation or domestic pump business by an appropriately
licensed electrical contractor, registered general contractor defined
by chapter 18.27 RCW, or appropriate general specialty contractor
defined by chapter 18.27 RCW for not less than eight thousand hours in
the most recent six calendar years shall be issued the appropriate
certificate by the department upon receiving such documentation and
applicable fees. The department shall establish a single document for
those who have received both an electrical specialty certification as
defined by this subsection and have also met the certification
requirements for the specialty plumber as defined by RCW
18.106.010(10)(c), showing that the individual has received both
certifications. No other experience or training requirements may be
imposed.
(iii) Before July 1, 2015, an applicant possessing an electrical
training certificate issued by the department is eligible to apply one
hour of every two hours of unsupervised telecommunications system
installation work experience toward eligibility for examination for a
limited energy system certificate of competency (as specified in WAC
296-46B-920(2)(e)), if:
(A) The telecommunications work experience was obtained while
employed by a contractor licensed under this chapter as a general
electrical contractor (as specified in WAC 296-46B-920(1)) or limited
energy system specialty contractor (as specified in WAC 296-46B-920(2)(e)); and
(B) Evidence of the telecommunications work experience is submitted
in the form of an affidavit prescribed by the department.
(h) Any applicant for a journey level electrician certificate of
competency who has successfully completed a two-year program in the
electrical construction trade at public community or technical
colleges, or not-for-profit nationally accredited technical or trade
schools licensed by the workforce training and education coordinating
board under chapter 28C.10 RCW, may substitute up to two years of the
technical or trade school program for two years of work experience
under a master journey level electrician or journey level electrician.
The applicant shall obtain the additional two years of work experience
required in industrial or commercial electrical installation prior to
the beginning, or after the completion, of the technical school
program. Any applicant who has received training in the electrical
construction trade in the armed service of the United States may be
eligible to apply armed service work experience towards qualification
to take the examination for the journey level electrician certificate
of competency.
(i) An applicant for a specialty electrician certificate of
competency who, after January 1, 2000, has successfully completed a
two-year program in the electrical construction trade at a public
community or technical college, or a not-for-profit nationally
accredited technical or trade school licensed by the workforce training
and education coordinating board under chapter 28C.10 RCW, may
substitute up to one year of the technical or trade school program for
one year of work experience under a master journey level electrician,
journey level electrician, master specialty electrician working in that
electrician's specialty, or specialty electrician working in that
electrician's specialty. Any applicant who has received training in
the electrical construction trade in the armed services of the United
States may be eligible to apply armed service work experience towards
qualification to take the examination for an appropriate specialty
electrician certificate of competency.
(j) The department must determine whether hours of training and
experience in the armed services or school program are in the
electrical construction trade and appropriate as a substitute for hours
of work experience. The department must use the following criteria for
evaluating the equivalence of classroom electrical training programs
and work in the electrical construction trade:
(i) A two-year electrical training program must consist of three
thousand or more hours.
(ii) In a two-year electrical training program, a minimum of two
thousand four hundred hours of student/instructor contact time must be
technical electrical instruction directly related to the scope of work
of the electrical specialty. Student/instructor contact time includes
lecture and in-school lab.
(iii) The department may not allow credit for a program that
accepts more than one thousand hours transferred from another school's
program.
(iv) Electrical specialty training school programs of less than two
years will have all of the above student/instructor contact time hours
proportionately reduced. Such programs may not apply to more than
fifty percent of the work experience required to attain certification.
(v) Electrical training programs of less than two years may not be
credited towards qualification for journey level electrician unless the
training program is used to gain qualification for a four thousand hour
electrical specialty.
(k) No other requirement for eligibility may be imposed.
(2) The department shall establish reasonable rules for the
examinations to be given applicants for certificates of competency. In
establishing the rules, the department shall consult with the board.
Upon determination that the applicant is eligible to take the
examination, the department shall so notify the applicant, indicating
the time and place for taking the examination.
(3) No noncertified individual may work unsupervised more than one
year beyond the date when the trainee would be eligible to test for a
certificate of competency if working on a full-time basis after
original application for the trainee certificate. For the purposes of
this section, "full-time basis" means two thousand hours.