NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Pursuant to Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) section 448E-4 and Chapter 91, notice is hereby given that the Board of Electricians & Plumbers (Board) will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 at 10:30 a.m., in the Queen Liliuokalani Conference Room, First Floor, King Kalakaua Building, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, 335 Merchant Street, Honolulu, Hawaii, to hear all persons interested in the proposed amendments to Hawaii Administrative Rules (HAR) Chapter 16-80 pertaining to electricians & plumbers.
The purposes of the proposed amendments are to: (1) Replace the term journeyman with the more gender neutral term of journey worker; (2) Reorganize all electrician categories together; (3) Codify Act 205, SLH 1982 which added the journey worker industrial and supervising industrial electrician classifications; (4) Clarify that installation of or work on all electrical appliances that are plugged into an existing outlet does not require an electricians license; (5) Amend the definitions of apprentice, electrical maintenance work, electrical wiring, and plumbing work; (6) Clarify that persons performing electrical maintenance work requires a license; (7) Clarify that electrical work can be performed by any of the licensed journey worker, supervising electrician or maintenance electrician categories; (8) Clarify that in addition to apprentices and electricians helpers, any unlicensed person who performs electrical work must be under the supervision of a licensee and further that the unlicensed person may only perform electrical work that is within the scope of practice of the supervising licensee; (9) Clarify the degree of supervision a licensee (electrician or plumber) is to provide an unlicensed person on a project site and defines project site; (10) Amend for consistency with §436B-9(b), Hawaii Revised Statutes, language regarding abandonment of applications after a two year period and clarifies that efforts to complete the licensure process includes filing of forms or requested documentation, passage of examinations, and payment of fees; (11) Implement Act 127, SLH 2004 to repeal the current biennial renewal for plumbers and implement a triennial license schedule effective with the June 30, 2006 renewal; (12) Allow the Board to waive the examination requirement for a person who failed for good and valid reasons to restore a license within one year of the forfeiture; (13) Set forth that the dishonoring of any check upon first deposit shall constitute a failure to meet the fee requirements; and (14) Make other non-substantive changes for the purposes of style and clarity.
All interested persons shall be afforded the opportunity to submit data, views, or arguments, orally or in writing, at the time of hearing. All persons wishing to submit written testimony are requested to submit 18 copies of their written testimony by Friday, August 31, 2007, to the Professional and Vocational Licensing Division at the address printed below.
A copy of the proposed rules will be mailed to any person who requests a copy upon receipt of $0.97 for the copy and postage. Please submit your request to the Professional and Vocational Licensing Division at the address noted below or contact the Boards office at (808) 586-2705.
Copies may be picked up at the following address between 7:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays: Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division, 335 Merchant Street, Room 343, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813. The cost of a copy, $0.80, is due and payable at the time of pick up.
Further, the proposed rules may be reviewed in person free of charge at the Professional and Vocational Licensing Division at the address and hours of operation printed above. In addition, the full text of the proposed rules is available and can be downloaded free of charge from the web site of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: http://www.hawaii.gov/dcca/main/har/proposed_har.
Individuals who require special needs accommodations are invited to call Charlene Tamanaha at (808) 586-2705 at least four (4) working days prior to the hearing.
Norman Ahu, Chairperson
Board of Electricians & Plumbers
(SB05530981 8/5/07) State of Hawaii
