Washington SB 6126: Requiring completion of an apprenticeship program to receive a journey level electrician certificate of competency.

Bill Text

S-3918.1

SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6126

State of Washington

65th Legislature

2018 Regular Session

By Senate Labor & Commerce (originally sponsored by Senators Saldaña, Hasegawa, Chase, Conway, Zeiger, Keiser, and Kuderer)

READ FIRST TIME 01/17/18.

AN ACT Relating to requiring completion of an apprenticeship program to receive a journey level electrician certificate of competency; amending RCW 19.28.191, 19.28.161, and 19.28.205; adding a new section to chapter 19.28 RCW; providing an effective date; and providing an expiration date.

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

Sec. 1. RCW 19.28.191 and 2016 c 198 s 2 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))) (b) 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))) (c) To be eligible to take the examination for a journey level certificate of competency, the applicant must have((:

(i))) successfully completed an apprenticeship program approved under chapter 49.04 RCW or equivalent apprenticeship program approved by the department for the electrical construction trade in which the applicant worked in the electrical construction trade for a minimum of eight thousand hours((, of which)). Four thousand of the 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)). The holder of a specialty electrician certificate of competency with a four thousand hour work experience requirement shall be allowed to credit the work experience required to obtain that certificate towards apprenticeship requirements for qualifying to take the examination for a journey level electrician certificate of competency.

(((g)(i))) (d) To be eligible to take the examination for a specialty electrician certificate of competency, the applicant must have:

(((A))) (i) 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