AN ACT

RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRIES LICENSING; CHANGING THE REQUIREMENTS FOR ELECTRICAL CERTIFICATES OF COMPETENCE.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

Section 1. Section 60-13-38 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1967, Chapter 199, Section 41, as amended) is amended to read:

"60-13-38. CERTIFICATES OF COMPETENCE--EXAMINATION--JOURNEYMEN.--

A. A person shall not engage in the occupation or trade of journeyman unless he holds a certificate of competence issued by the division for the occupation or trade in which he desires to engage.

B. The categories for certificates of competence are: journeyman electrician, journeyman plumber, journeyman gas fitter, journeyman pipe fitter, journeyman sheet metal worker, journeyman boiler operator, residential wireman and journeyman welder working on pipelines, collection lines or compressor stations.

C. An applicant for a certificate of competence shall be required to take an examination approved and adopted by the division as to his knowledge of the orders and rules governing the occupation or trade for which a certificate is sought, and as to his technical knowledge and ability pertaining to his particular trade. The examination may be oral, written or demonstrative or any combination thereof, as required by rules of the commission.

D. The division shall issue a certificate of competence to any journeyman welder working on pipelines, collection lines or compressor stations who shows evidence of having satisfactorily completed an examination administered by an independent testing organization or public utility employing engineers registered with the state, such examination meeting the minimum pipeline safety standards set by the public regulation commission.

E. Applications for certificates of competence shall be in the form and shall contain such information and attachments as the division prescribes.

F. The division shall establish a reasonable fee for any examination or issuance of certificate of competence.

G. A person is not eligible to take an examination for a certificate of competence unless he has had two years' experience in the occupation or trade for which a certificate of competence is sought, or the equivalent thereof as determined by the commission, or has successfully completed a course in the trade approved by the vocational education division of the state department of public education. H. Employment of an apprentice working under the direct supervision of a certified journeyman is not prohibited by the Construction Industries Licensing Act.

I. A person is eligible to take an examination for a journeyman electrician certificate of competence after at least:

(1) four years of accredited training in the electrical trade;

(2) four years of apprenticeship in the electrical trade;

(3) four years of practical experience in the electrical trade, of which two years are in the commercial trade, industrial trade or the equivalent as determined by the commission; or

(4) successfully completing an electrical trade program approved by the vocational education division of the state department of public education and two years of practical experience in the commercial electrical trade.

J. Continuing education requirements for a journeyman electrician shall include at least sixteen hours of continuing education in every three-year period between national electrical code updates, of which eight hours are code change instructions and eight hours are other industry-related instruction. All continuing education curricula and instructors shall be approved by the commission based on recommendations by the electrical bureau.

K. A certificate of competence shall not be renewed until a complete application for renewal has been received by the division. Proof of completion of the continuing education requirements shall be submitted to the division with the application for renewal of certificate of competence. An application for renewal that is not accompanied by proof of completion of the continuing education requirements is incomplete and shall not be processed. The continuing education requirements in this subsection shall only apply to a journeyman electrician with the designation "EE-98J" or "JE98". This does not apply to EE98.

L. A person is eligible to take an examination for a residential wireman's certificate of competence after at least:

(1) two years of accredited training or apprenticeship in the electrical trade;

(2) two years of practical experience in wiring residential dwellings; or

(3) successfully completing a course in the trade approved by the vocational education division of the state department of public education and one year of practical experience in wiring residential dwellings.

M. The provisions of Subsections I and L of this section do not apply to a person who was enrolled as a full-time student before June 20, 2003 in an electrical trade program approved by the vocational education division of the state department of public education."