BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 1346 Page 1 Date of Hearing: May 18, 2011 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Felipe Fuentes, Chair AB 1346 (Atkins) - As Amended: March 31, 2011 Policy Committee: Labor and Employment Vote: 6-0 Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: No Reimbursable: No SUMMARY This bill requires applicants for electrician certification to submit an application and examination that includes an employment history report from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Authorizes the individual to redact his or her social security number from the employment history report before it is submitted. FISCAL EFFECT Minor, absorbable costs to the Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS) within the Department of Industrial Relations to enforce this provision. An individual seeking certification will bear the cost of obtaining his or her employment history from the SSA. According to the SSA, an individual can obtained certified or non-certified earnings information by completing a form and paying a fee. Individuals must pay a $15 fee for one-year of earnings information and a supplemental fee of $2.50 for each additional year. COMMENTS 1)Rationale. DIR advises potential electrician applicants to be prepared to verify claims of experience; however, no explicit requirement for documentation is required. The author states: "The list of 'qualified and responsible persons' authorized to verify experience claims includes a homeowner, an employer, fellow employee, other journeyman, contractor, union representative, building inspector, architect, or engineer. It is hard to imagine that DIR can AB 1346 Page 2 verify four years of job experience by relying on a hodgepodge of individuals and organizations." This bill requires applicants for electrician certification to submit an application and examination that includes an employment history report from SSA, as specified. 2)Existing law . AB 931 (Calderon), Chapter 781, Statutes of 1999, required DAS to establish minimum training, competency, and certification standards for electricians. Electricians are prohibited from performing electrical work unless they are certified by January 1, 2007; subsequent legislation, however, authorized the California Apprenticeship Council to extend the deadline until January 1, 2009. Apprentices in state or federally approved programs are exempt from the certification requirement, and uncertified persons may perform electrical work in order to acquire the necessary on-the-job experience for certification, as long as the person is registered with DAS, is under the direct supervision of a certified electrician, and is currently enrolled in an approved curriculum of classroom instruction ƯAB 1087 (Calderon), Chapter 48 of 2002]. Analysis Prepared by : Kimberly Rodriguez / APPR. / (916) 319-2081