SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB1572 SFLR Page 1 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 SENATE FLOOR VERSION February 19, 2024 AS AMENDED SENATE BILL NO. 1572 By: Daniels of the Senate and Sims of the House An Act relating to electricians; amending 59 O.S. 2021, Sections 1682, 1686, 1688, 1689, and 1699, which relate to the Electrical License Act; modifying definition; stating qualifications for certification; providing for expiration of registration; updating statutory language; updating statutory re ference; and providing an effective date. BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 59 O.S. 2021, Section 1682, is amended to read as follows: Section 1682. A. As used in the Electrical License Act: 1. “Board” means the Construction Industries Board; 2. “Committee” means the Committee of Electrical Examiners appointed by the Board; 3. “Electrical apprentice ” means any person sixteen (16) years of age or older whose principal occupation is the learnin g of and assisting in the ins tallation of electrical work under the d irect SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB1572 SFLR Page 2 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 supervision of a licensed journeyman electrician or electrical contractor; 4. “Journeyman electrician ” means any person other than an electrical contractor who engages in the actual installation, alteration, repair or renovation of electrical facilities or electrical construction work unless specifically exempted by the provisions of the Electrical License Act; 5. “Electrical contractor ” means any person skilled in the planning, superintending and practical in stallation of electrical facilities who is familiar with the laws, rules and regulations governing such work. Electrical contractor also means any individual, firm, partnership, corporation, limited liability company or business performing skills of an electrical contractor or an electrician or the business of contracting, or furnishing labor or labor and materials for the installation, repair, maintenance or renovation of electrical facilities or electrical construction work according to the provisions of the Electrical License Act; 6. “Electrical facilities” means all wiring, fixtures, appurtenances and appliances for, and in connection with, a supply of electricity within or adjacent to any building, structure or conveyance on the premises but not including the connection with a power supply meter or other power supply source; 7. “Category” means the classification by which licenses and electrical work may be limited. Such categories shall include but SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB1572 SFLR Page 3 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 shall not be limited t o installation, maintenance, repair, alteration, residential, oilfiel d and commercial; 8. “Temporary journeyman electrician ” means any person other than a person permanently licensed as a journeyman electrician or electrical contractor in this state who meets the temporary licensure requirements of Section 1685.1 of this title; 9. “Variance and Appeals Board ” means the Oklahoma State Electrical Installation Code Variance and Appeals Board; 10. “Electrical construction work” means installation, fabrication or assembly of equipment or systems included in “premises wiring” as defined in the National Electrical Code (reference 158:40-1-4. Standard of Installation), and which is hereby adopted and incorporated by reference. Electrical construction work includes but is not limited to installation of raceway systems used for any electrical purposes, and installation of field-assembled systems such as ice and snow melting, pipe - tracing and manufactured wiring systems. El ectrical construction work shall not include in-plant work performed b y employees of the company owning the plant, work performed by telecommunications employees for telecommunications companies or installation of factory-assembled appliances or machinery which is not part of the premises wiring unless wiring interconnections external to the equipment are required in the field; SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB1572 SFLR Page 4 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 11. “Electrical work” means work consisting primarily of the layout, installation, maintenance, repair, testing or replacement of all or part of electrical wires, conduits , apparatus, fixtures, appliances or equipment for transmitting, carr ying, controlling or using electricity in, on, outside or attached to a building, structure, property or premises. E lectrical work shall not mean work that is related to or facilitates the construction, installation or maintenance of all or part of an electrical system, but which does not in volve actual work with any of the electrical components provided in this definition; and 12. “Student electrical intern apprentice” means any person sixteen (16) years of age or older who complies with the requirements for registration under Section 1686 of this title. B. Class 2 and Class 3 circuits shall be exempt from the requirements of electrical licensing of either an electrical contractor or a journeyman electrician, provided the work is performed in accordance with the National Fire Protection Association 70 requirements for Class 2 and Class 3 circuits. SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 59 O.S. 2021, Section 1686, is amended to read as follows: Section 1686. A. The Construction Industries Board shall, upon proper application and payment of fee, register as an electrical apprentice and issue a certificate of such registra tion to any SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB1572 SFLR Page 5 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 person who furnishes satisfactory proof to the Board that the applicant is: 1. Sixteen (16) years of age or older; or 2. Enrolled in a school or federal t raining program for electrical apprentices recognized by th e Board or employed as an electrical apprentice with an active licensed electrical contractor. B. The Construction Industries Board shall, upon proper application and payment of fee, register as a student electrical intern apprentice and issue a certificate of such registration to any person who furnishes satisfactory proof to the Board that the applicant is: 1. Sixteen (16) years of age or older; and 2. Enrolled in high school and enrolled in a work -ready or similar program recognized by the Board ; and 3. Employed with an active licensed electrical contracto r. A student apprentice may not apply more than one thousa nd five hundred (1,500) hours to ward his or her journeyman requirements . C. All applications for examination, licens e or renewal of license shall be made in writing to the Board on forms provided, if necessary, by the Board. All applications shall be accompanied by the appropriate fee. D. Apprentices and student electrical interns apprentices, when required by the Board, shall pr ovide such documents, statements or other information as may be necessary to submit to a national SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB1572 SFLR Page 6 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 criminal history record check a s defined by Section 150.9 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes. SECTION 3. AMENDATORY 59 O.S. 2021, Section 1688, is amended to read as follows: Section 1688. A. No license shall be issued for longer than one (1) year, and all licenses shall expire on the last day in the birth month of the li censee. A license may be renewed upon application and payment of fees thirty (30) days preceding or following the date the license is due. Licenses renewed more th an thirty (30) days follo wing the date of expi ration may be renewed only upon application and payment of all required fees and payment of any penalty for late renewal established by the Construction Industries Board and upon compliance with any applicable continuing education requirements established by the Board and th e Electrical License Act. No penalty for late ren ewal shall be charged to any holder of a license which expires while the holder is in military service, if an applic ation for renewal is made within one (1) year following the service discharge of the holde r. B. No journeyman or contract or license shall be renewed unless the licensee has completed the required hours of continuing education, as determined and approved by the Committee of Electrical Examiners and approved by the Construction Industries Board. C. An apprentice registration certificate or a s tudent intern apprentice registration certificate shall be issued for one (1) SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB1572 SFLR Page 7 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 year, at which time the apprentice may reregister upon meeting the requirements of the Construction Industries Board and paying the renewal fee. A student apprentice registration expires on the last day of the registrant’s school year. SECTION 4. AMENDATORY 59 O.S. 2021, Section 1689, is amended to read as follows: Section 1689. A. The Construction Indu stries Board or its designee and the Committee of Electrical Examiners shall act as the Electrical Hearing Board and shall comply with the provisions of Article II of the Administrative Procedures Act, Section 308a e t seq. of Title 75 of the Oklahoma Statu tes. B. Any administrativ e hearing on suspensions, revocations or fines shall be conducted by a hearing examiner appointed by the Board. The hearing examiner’s decision shall be a final decision which may be appealed to a district court in accordance wit h the Administrative Procedures Act. C. The Electrical Hearing Board may, upon its own motion, and shall, upon written complaint filed by any person, investigate the business transactions of any electrical contracto r, journeyman electrician, electrical ap prentice, student electrical intern apprentice or poultry house contractor l icense. Upon a finding by clear and convincing evidence, the Board shall suspend or revoke any license or registration obtained by false or fraudulent representation. Upon a find ing by clear and convincing evidence, SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB1572 SFLR Page 8 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 the Board shall also suspend or revoke any license or registration for any of the following: 1. Making a material misstatement in the application for a license or registration, or the renewal of a license or registration; 2. Loaning or illega lly using a license; 3. Demonstrating incompetenc e to act as a journeyman electrician or electrical contractor; 4. Violating any provisions of the Electrical License Act, or any rule or order prescribed by the Board or any ordin ance for the installation of electrical facilities made or enacted by a city or town by authority of the Electrical License Act; 5. Willfully failing to perform normal business obligations without justifiable cause; or 6. Failing to maintain a registrati on or license as required by law in another state while registered in this s tate as a nonresident contractor. D. Any person whose license or re gistration has been revoked by the Electrical Hearing Board may apply for a new license one (1) year from the date of such revocation. E. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a political subdivision of this state that has adopted a nationally recognized electrical code and appointed an inspector pursuant to the provisions of Section 1693 of this title or pur suant to the SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB1572 SFLR Page 9 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 provisions of the Oklahoma Inspectors Act for such work shall h ave jurisdiction over the inter pretation of the code and the installation of all electrical work done in that political subdivision, subject to the provisions of the Oklahoma Inspe ctors Act. Provided, a state inspector may work directly with an electrical contractor, journeyman electrician, electrical apprentice or student electrical intern apprentice in such a locality if a violation of the code creates an immediate threat to life or health. F. In the case of a complaint about, investigation of or inspection of any license, registration, permit or electrical work in any political subdivision of this state which has not adopted a nationally recognized electrical code and appointed an inspector pursuant to the provisions of Section 1693 of this title or pursuant to the provisions of the Oklahoma Inspectors Act for such work, the Construction Industries B oard shall have jurisdiction over such matters. G. 1. No individual, business, company, corporation, association or other entity subject to the provisions of the Electrical License Act shall instal l, modify or alter electri cal facilities in any incorporated area of this state which has not adopted a nationally recognized electrical c ode and appointed an inspector pursuant to the provisions of Section 1693 of this title or pursuant to the provisions of the Oklahoma Inspectors Act for such work without prov iding notice of such electrical work to t he SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB1572 SFLR Page 10 (Bold face denotes Committee Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Construction Industries Board. A not ice form for reproduction by an individual or entity required to make such n otice shall be provided by the Construction Industries Board upon re quest. 2. Notice to the Construction Industries Board pursuant to this subsection shall not be required for ele ctrical maintenance or replacement of existing electrical appliances or fixtures or of any petroleum refinery or its research facilities. 3. Enforcement of this subsection is authorized pursuant to the Electrical License Act, or under authority granted to the Construction Industri es Board. SECTION 5. AMENDATORY 59 O.S. 2021 , Section 1699, is amended to read as follows: Section 1699. One student electrical intern apprentice is allowed to work per physical job site with direct supe rvision under a single journeyman or electrical contractor; provided, however, that no such student electrical intern apprentice shall be counted against the maximum number of apprentices who are allowed by law or regulation to work under the supervision o f a single journeyman or contractor. A student electrical intern apprentice is not allowed to work on high voltage systems defined by the Natio nal Electrical Code. SECTION 6. This act shall become effective November 1, 2024. COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON BUSINESS AND COMMERCE February 19, 2024 - DO PASS AS AMENDED