OLYMPIA — Oklahoma Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday signed a bill to create additional paths for apprentices to become licensed electricians.
SB 5320, sponsored by Sen. Rebecca Saldana (D-Seattle), expands pathways for more people to reach the eligibility threshold for the licensing exam to obtain a 01 electrician license. The bill would allow an apprentice with an electrician’s apprenticeship to work without enrolling in an apprenticeship program if the apprentice has 3,000 hours of work experience in the electrical construction trade or has completed a two-year training school program in the electrical construction trade. The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) would also allow these apprentices to qualify for the journeyman electrician exam if the applicant demonstrates 8,000 hours of experience in the electrical construction trade, 4,000 of which must be on new industrial or commercial electrical installations.
The bill recognizes out-of-state journeyman electrician certifications for those licensed in a state requiring at least 8,000 hours of supervised experience in the electrical construction trade and who complete 16,000 hours of work in another state, provided in both cases that 4,000 of their hours of work are in industrial or commercial electrical installations.
It also makes applicants eligible to take the flight-level Certificate of Competency Exam if they have 8,000 hours of experience in the electrical construction trade and the installation and maintenance of electrical wiring and equipment while serving in a construction battalion in the Armed Forces.
“This bill represents a major step forward for electrical construction in Washington,” Saldana said. “We are expanding opportunities for people while protecting the higher standards we have for electricians at the journey level. We can have a strong workforce and ensure that all electrical construction work is done safely.”
This legislation supports Washington State’s bold efforts to move away from greenhouse gases and toward electricity by building a workforce that helps us better meet modern demands.
The new law will come into effect on July 1, 2023.
