HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1129

TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

Relating to electrical contractors.

 

 

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

 


     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that Act 35, Session Laws of Hawaii 2010, established new minimum qualification licensing requirements for electricians effective July 1, 2013.  The legislature further finds that most in-state electrical workers are experienced in low voltage work, which includes wiring buildings at one hundred twenty/two hundred forty volts.  There are not enough electricians, splicers, and linemen in the State who are experienced and qualified to work with high voltage, over four hundred eighty volts, and who could respond in the event of a catastrophic occurrence or complex maintenance work affecting an electric utility.

     The legislature additionally finds that Act 35 has had inadvertent consequences.  In an emergency situation, it could be necessary to engage contractors who use personnel licensed in other states.  However, under the licensing requirements established by Act 35, the necessary personnel would not be certified in Hawaii and would be prohibited from offering assistance.  The legislature concludes that there are potential impacts to the health and safety of the State and its residents, and a specific exception to the licensing requirements for electrical contractors is therefore needed.

     The purpose of this Act is to provide an exception to the licensing requirements for electrical contractors in situations when an electric utility must hire contractors licensed in another state to assist with high voltage work.

     SECTION 2.  Section 448E-5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "§448E-5  Minimum requirements.  (a)  Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b), an applicant shall possess the following minimum qualifications:

     (1)  Journey worker electrician:  To be eligible for the journey worker electrician examination, an applicant shall be at least eighteen years of age and shall provide satisfactory evidence of experience in residential or commercial wiring of at least five years full-time or its equivalent, but not less than ten thousand hours, in the trade under the supervision of a journey worker or supervising electrician;

     (2)  Journey worker specialty electrician:  To be eligible for the journey worker specialty electrician examination, an applicant shall be at least eighteen years of age and shall provide satisfactory evidence of at least five years' experience in the trade;

     (3)  Supervising electrician:  To be eligible for the supervising electrician examination, an applicant shall have been registered with the board as a journey worker electrician for at least a period of four years or shall have equivalent experience in the trade;

     (4)  Supervising specialty electrician:  To be eligible for the supervising specialty electrician examination, an applicant shall have been registered with the board as a journey worker specialty electrician for at least a period of four years or shall have equivalent experience in the trade;

     (5)  Journey worker plumber:  To be eligible for the journey worker plumber examination, an applicant shall provide satisfactory evidence of experience of at least five years' full-time or its equivalent, but not less than ten thousand hours, as a journey worker's or master plumber's helper;

     (6)  Master plumber:  To be eligible for the master plumber examination, an applicant shall have been registered with the board as a journey worker plumber for at least two years or shall have equivalent experience in the trade;

     (7)  Maintenance electrician:  To be eligible for the maintenance electrician examination, an applicant shall be not less than eighteen years of age and shall provide satisfactory evidence of at least one year of experience in performing electrical maintenance work or two years of schooling in the electrical trade;

     (8)  Journey worker industrial electrician:  To be eligible for the journey worker industrial electrician examination, an applicant shall be at least eighteen years of age and shall provide satisfactory evidence of experience in industrial electrical work of at least five years full-time or its equivalent, but not less than ten thousand hours;

     (9)  Supervising industrial electrician:  To be eligible for the supervising industrial electrician examination, an applicant shall have been registered with the board as a journey worker industrial electrician for a period of at least four years or shall have equivalent experience in the trade.

     (b)  Effective July 1, 2013, an applicant for licensing pursuant to this chapter shall possess the following minimum qualifications:

     (1)  Journey worker electrician:  To be eligible for the journey worker electrician examination, an applicant shall be at least eighteen years of age and shall provide satisfactory evidence of:

         (A)  Experience in residential or commercial wiring of at least five years full-time or its equivalent, but not less than ten thousand hours, in the trade under the supervision of a journey worker or supervising electrician; and

         (B)  Satisfactory completion, accepted by a University of Hawaii community college offering an appropriate program of study, of two hundred forty hours of electrical academic coursework;

     (2)  Journey worker specialty electrician:  To be eligible for the journey worker specialty electrician examination, an applicant shall be at least eighteen years of age and shall provide satisfactory evidence of:

         (A)  Experience of at least three years full-time or its equivalent, but not less than six thousand hours, in the trade under the supervision of a journey worker electrician, supervising electrician, journey worker specialty electrician, or supervising specialty electrician; and

         (B)  Satisfactory completion, accepted by a University of Hawaii community college offering an appropriate program of study, of one hundred twenty hours of electrical academic coursework;

     (3)  Supervising electrician:  To be eligible for the supervising electrician examination, an applicant shall have been registered with the board as a journey worker electrician for at least a period of four years or shall have equivalent experience in the trade;

     (4)  Supervising specialty electrician:  To be eligible for the supervising specialty electrician examination, an applicant shall have been registered with the board as a journey worker specialty electrician for at least a period of two years or shall have equivalent experience in the trade;

     (5)  Journey worker plumber:  To be eligible for the journey worker plumber examination, an applicant shall provide satisfactory evidence of experience of at least five years' full-time or its equivalent, but not less than ten thousand hours, as a journey worker's or master plumber's helper;

     (6)  Master plumber:  To be eligible for the master plumber examination, an applicant shall have been registered with the board as a journey worker plumber for at least two years or shall have equivalent experience in the trade;

     (7)  Maintenance electrician:  To be eligible for the maintenance electrician examination, an applicant shall be not less than eighteen years of age and shall provide satisfactory evidence of:

         (A)  At least one year of experience in performing electrical maintenance work plus satisfactory completion, accepted by a University of Hawaii community college offering an appropriate program of study, of at least eighty hours of electrical academic coursework; or

         (B)  Two years of schooling in the electrical trade with not less than one thousand hours of hands-on lab exercises;

     (8)  Journey worker industrial electrician:  To be eligible for the journey worker industrial electrician examination, an applicant shall be at least eighteen years of age and shall provide satisfactory evidence of:

         (A)  Experience in industrial electrical work of at least four years full-time or its equivalent, but not less than eight thousand hours; and

         (B)  Satisfactory completion, as accepted by a University of Hawaii community college offering an appropriate program of study, of two hundred hours of electrical academic coursework; and

     (9)  Supervising industrial electrician:  To be eligible for the supervising industrial electrician examination, an applicant shall have been registered with the board as a journey worker industrial electrician for a period of at least three years or shall have equivalent experience in the trade.

     (c)  Electrical contractors who are:

     (1)  Licensed and deemed qualified by municipal or state licensing authorities in other jurisdictions of the United States to perform electrical utility work of identical or fundamentally indistinguishable classification;

     (2)  In good standing and whose license has not been revoked or suspended for cause; and

     (3)  Retained by a public utility that is operating within the State under a franchise or charter granted by the State and regulated by the public utilities commission under chapter 269 to perform high voltage (four hundred eighty volts or higher, single-phase, and three-phase) electrical work for the public utility, including emergency repair or maintenance work;

shall be exempt from the requirements of this chapter and section 444-9.5."

     SECTION 3.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

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Report Title:

Electrical Contractors; Licensing; Exception

 

Description:

Provides an exception to the licensing requirements for electrical contractors in situations when an electric utility must hire contractors licensed in another state to assist with high voltage work.

 

 

 

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.