2008 Legislation
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HOUSE BILL NO. 475<br /> – Electrician, exam/license

HOUSE BILL NO. 475

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Bill Status



H0475...........................................................by BUSINESS
ELECTRICIANS - Amends existing law relating to electricians to revise the
requirements for an apprentice electrician to take the journeyman's
examination; to revise the duration of certain licenses; to provide for the
expiration of licenses; to revise the time when any license may be revived;
and to revise the fee charged by the administrator of the Division of
Building Safety for certain licenses.

02/06    House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/07    Rpt prt - to Bus
03/12    Rpt out - to Gen Ord

Bill Text




                                                                       
  ]]]]              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ]]]]
 Fifty-ninth Legislature                   Second Regular Session - 2008

                                                                       

                              IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                                     HOUSE BILL NO. 475

                                   BY BUSINESS COMMITTEE

  1                                        AN ACT
  2    RELATING TO ELECTRICAL APPRENTICES AND SPECIALTY  TRAINEES;  AMENDING  SECTION
  3        54-1007, IDAHO CODE, TO REVISE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR AN APPRENTICE ELECTRI-
  4        CIAN TO TAKE THE JOURNEYMAN'S EXAMINATION; AMENDING SECTION 54-1008, IDAHO
  5        CODE,  TO  REVISE  THE DURATION OF CERTAIN LICENSES AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE
  6        EXPIRATION OF LICENSES; AMENDING SECTION 54-1013, IDAHO  CODE,  TO  REVISE
  7        THE  TIME  WHEN  ANY LICENSE MAY BE REVIVED; AND AMENDING SECTION 54-1014,
  8        IDAHO CODE, TO REVISE THE FEE CHARGED BY THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE DIVISION
  9        OF BUILDING SAFETY FOR CERTAIN LICENSES.

 10    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:

 11        SECTION 1.  That Section 54-1007, Idaho Code, be, and the same  is  hereby
 12    amended to read as follows:

 13        54-1007.  ISSUANCE OF LICENSES -- RECIPROCITY. (1) The administrator shall
 14    issue  licenses  to such persons as have by examination shown themselves to be
 15    fit, competent and qualified to engage in the trade of journeyman electrician,
 16    specialty electrician or master electrician as defined  in  section  54-1003A,
 17    Idaho Code, and to such persons, firms, partnerships, associations or corpora-
 18    tions as have shown themselves to be fit, competent and qualified to engage in
 19    the  business of electrical contracting or specialty electrical contracting as
 20    defined in section 54-1003A, Idaho Code.
 21        (2)  An apprentice electrician, as  defined  in  section  54-1003A,  Idaho
 22    Code,  may  take the journeyman's examination if he has completed the required
 23    related instruction for electrical apprentices as approved by the Idaho  state
 24    board  for professional-technical education and has worked the number of hours
 25    as prescribed by the Idaho electrical board, provided that for each such  year
 26    he  is  claiming  to  have worked as an apprentice electrician, the apprentice
 27    shall have been registered with the division of building safety as an  appren-
 28    tice,  paid  an  apprentice  registration  fee,  and submitted with his annual
 29    application for apprentice registration verification of employment, the number
 30    of instructional hours completed and the number of  hours  worked  during  the
 31    time  that the hours of experience were obtained. The electrical board may, by
 32    rule, fix the apprentice registration fee, in an  amount  not  to  exceed  the
 33    costs  of  issuing  apprentice  registration  certificates  and  enforcing the
 34    apprentice registration provisions of this act chapter, and may also  by  rule
 35    establish  requirements  relative to the manner of verification of employment,
 36    the number of instructional hours completed,  continuation  training  and  the
 37    number of hours worked.
 38        (a)  An apprentice who has completed the number of instructional hours and
 39        has  not taken or passed the journeyman's examination within two (2) years
 40        of completion of the instructional training hours, shall provide proof  of
 41        continuation training as set by rule of the electrical board.
 42        (b)  An  apprentice  who has not advanced in apprenticeship training for a
 43        period of two (2) years shall complete continuation  training  as  set  by

                                       2

  1        rule of the electrical board.
  2        (3)  Any  person  who  has worked as a licensed journeyman for a period of
  3    not less than four (4) years and who has worked the number of  hours  as  pre-
  4    scribed  by  rule  of  the board as a licensed journeyman electrician shall be
  5    considered as qualified to apply for a master electrician's  license  in  this
  6    state.  The  Idaho  electrical board, in establishing by rule the requirements
  7    for  a  master  electrician's  license,  shall  also  take  into  account  the
  8    applicant's performance as a journeyman electrician.
  9        (4)  Any person with out-of-state experience who has worked as a  journey-
 10    man  electrician  or  as  an  apprentice  electrician for a period of four (4)
 11    years, and who has met such other requirements as established by rule  of  the
 12    board,   shall   be   considered  as  qualified  to  apply  for  a  journeyman
 13    electrician's license in this state.
 14        (5)  To the extent that other states which provide for  the  licensing  of
 15    electricians provide for similar action, the administrator, on the recommenda-
 16    tion  of  the  Idaho  electrical  board,  may  grant  licenses to electricians
 17    licensed by such other states, upon payment by the applicant of  the  required
 18    fee  and  upon furnishing proof to the board that the applicant has qualifica-
 19    tions at least equal to those provided herein for applicants for written exam-
 20    inations. Applicants who qualify for a license under this subsection  are  not
 21    required to take a written examination.

 22        SECTION  2.  That  Section 54-1008, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby
 23    amended to read as follows:

 24        54-1008.  DURATION OF LICENSE. (1) All licenses, including license  renew-
 25    als, for master electricians, journeyman electricians and specialty journeyman
 26    electricians  shall  issue  for  a period of three (3) years, and shall expire
 27    three (3) years from the date of issue unless renewed, revoked or suspended.
 28        (2)  Electrical  contractor,  and  specialty  electrical  contractor   and
 29    apprentice/specialty  trainee  licenses issued after July 1, 2002, shall issue
 30    for a period of one (1) year, and shall expire one (1) year from the  date  of
 31    issue unless renewed, revoked or suspended.
 32        (3)  Electrical  apprentice  registrations issued or renewed after July 1,
 33    2008, shall be issued for a period of five (5) years.
 34        (4)  Electrical specialty trainee registrations issued  or  renewed  after
 35    July 1, 2008, shall be issued for a period of three (3) years.
 36        (5)  Each  licensing  period  shall end at midnight on the last day of the
 37    month of the licensing period. Licenses not renewed by this  date  shall  have
 38    expired.
 39        (46)  The  board  shall promulgate rules to provide for a staggered system
 40    of issuing and renewing licenses.

 41        SECTION 3.  That Section 54-1013, Idaho Code, be, and the same  is  hereby
 42    amended to read as follows:

 43        54-1013.  RENEWAL  OF  LICENSES  --  INACTIVE LICENSES. (1) A license once
 44    issued under this chapter, unless revoked or suspended as herein provided, may
 45    be renewed at any time during the final month of the licensing period  on  the
 46    payment of the renewal fee herein specified, proof of satisfaction of the con-
 47    tinuing  education  requirements  as  established by the electrical board, and
 48    provided that all outstanding civil penalties, and permit or other fees,  have
 49    been  paid in full, and all outstanding correction notices have been satisfac-
 50    torily resolved. For electrical contractors and specialty electrical  contrac-
 51    tors,  proof  of  liability  insurance in the amount of three hundred thousand

                                       3

  1    dollars ($300,000) shall also be required, and proof of worker's  compensation
  2    insurance shall be required if applicable.
  3        (2)  Any  license  which has expired may be revived at any time within one
  4    (1) year from the first last day of the final month of the  licensing  period,
  5    by  payment of the revival fee herein specified, together with all outstanding
  6    civil penalties, and permit or other fees and penalties, and upon  proof  that
  7    outstanding correction notices have been satisfactorily resolved. For electri-
  8    cal  contractors  and  specialty  electrical  contractors,  proof of liability
  9    insurance in the amount of three hundred  thousand  dollars  ($300,000)  shall
 10    also  be  required,  and  proof  of  worker's  compensation insurance shall be
 11    required if applicable.
 12        (3)  Certificates of competency issued prior to July 1, 1961,  shall,  for
 13    the  purpose  of this chapter, be considered as licenses and may be renewed or
 14    revived as herein provided.
 15        (4)  The administrator may renew, on an inactive basis, the license of  an
 16    electrical contractor or specialty contractor who is not engaged in electrical
 17    contracting in this state. The board shall fix and collect an inactive license
 18    fee  for  such an inactive license renewal in an amount not to exceed one hun-
 19    dred fifty dollars ($150). Each inactive license shall be issued for a  period
 20    of  one  (1) year. An electrical contractor or specialty contractor holding an
 21    inactive license may not engage in the practice of electrical  contracting  or
 22    specialty  contracting in this state. If an electrical contractor or specialty
 23    contractor wishes to convert his inactive license to an active license, he may
 24    do so by paying a processing fee of  thirty  dollars  ($30.00)  and  providing
 25    proof of the required liability insurance and applicable worker's compensation
 26    insurance.

 27        SECTION  4.  That  Section 54-1014, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby
 28    amended to read as follows:

 29        54-1014.  FEES. The administrator of the division of building safety shall
 30    charge the following fees:
 31        (1)  Application for license                                       $ 15.00
 32        (2)  One-year licenses:
 33        (a)  Electrical contractor license                                 $125.00
 34        (b)  Electrical contractor license renewal                          100.00
 35        (c)  Electrical contractor license revival                          125.00
 36        (d)  Apprentice/specialty trainee registration and working license   10.00
 37        (e)  Specialty contractor license                                   125.00
 38        (fe)  Specialty contractor license renewal                          100.00
 39        (gf)  Specialty contractor license revival                          125.00
 40        (3)  Three-year licenses, in accordance with sections 54-1008 and 54-1013,
 41    Idaho Code:
 42        (a)  Master electrician license                                     $65.00
 43        (b)  Master electrician license renewal                              45.00
 44        (c)  Master electrician license revival                              55.00
 45        (d)  Journeyman electrician license                                  55.00
 46        (e)  Journeyman electrician license renewal                          45.00
 47        (f)  Journeyman electrician license revival                          55.00
 48        (g)  Specialty journeyman electrician license                        55.00
 49        (h)  Specialty journeyman electrician license renewal                45.00
 50        (i)  Specialty journeyman electrician license revival                55.00
 51        (j)  Specialty trainee registration and working license              30.00
 52        (4)  Five-year licenses, in accordance with sections 54-1008 and  54-1013,
 53    Idaho Code:

                                       4

  1        (a)  Apprentice electrician registration and working license        $50.00

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact


                   STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

                        RS 17401C1

Currently, annual registrations are required for electrical 
apprentices and specialty trainees and the $10 fee is 
insufficient to cover the cost of issuing the registration.  
Also, many apprentices fail to renew in a timely manner, which 
results in their losing credit for hours worked while their 
registration is expired.  This legislation dovetails with 
parallel legislation to standardize registration requirements 
for electrical, plumbing, and HVAC apprentices.  The five-year 
time period should be sufficient for most apprentices to 
complete their training and transition to journeymen.  It also 
allows a one-year window for employers to evaluate their new 
hires prior to investing in their schooling.


                         FISCAL NOTE

None.





CONTACT
Name:	Steve Keys
Agency:	Building Safety
Phone:	332-8986


STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE	                H 475