WA Legislative Update ~ Electricians

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (“L&I”)Electrical Currents , Vol. 19 No. 2 (Feb. 2015) identifies legislative updates in 2015 that may be of interest to electrical contractors. None of the bills identified are sponsored by L&I:

House Bill 1315 – L&I’s summary of the bill: “Requires L&I to grant a variance from the allowed scope of work, upon application, to a specialty electrician, a master specialty electrician, or a specialty plumber under certain circumstances.”
House Bill 1375 – L&I’s summary of the bill: “Eliminates special immunities from prosecution for criminal trespass, whether those immunities have been legislatively granted to the government or to private persons or entities. This bill would compromise an inspector’s ability to gain access to ensure electrical work complies with state laws and rules, and require property owners to be present for an electrical inspection, which would significantly reduce the number of inspections that could be performed with current inspection staff.”
House Bill 1590 – L&I’s summary of the bill: “Requiring completion of an apprenticeship program to receive a journey level or residential specialty electrician certificate of competency.”
House Bill 1608 – L&I’s summary of the bill: “Addresses certified HVAC/refrigeration specialty electricians and certified appliance repair specialty electricians concerning replacement of household appliances.”
House Bill 1609 – L&I’s summary of the bill: “Exempts from the plumbing and electrical codes, minor or incidental work that does not require regulation for the protection of public health or safety.”
Senate Bill 5686 – L&I’s summary of the bill: “Removes the ability of the Electrical Board to hear appeals of decisions by the Office of Administrative Hearings. Decisions made by an administrative law judge would be a final order.”
Senate Bill 5281 – L&I’s summary of the bill: “Requires L&I to establish a 2,000 hour nonresidential security system specialty electrician certificate allowing a trainee to take the examination after 720 hours (or 90 days) of work experience and if successful, work alone installing these systems.”
Senate Bill 5282 – L&I’s summary of the bill: “Exempts from licensing requirements, and permit and inspection requirements under chapter 19.28 RCW, persons, firms, partnerships, corporations, and other entities for work limited to certain installations of security system wiring in one and two family dwellings.”