BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  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 �AB 1087 
            (Calderon), Chapter 48 of 2002]. 


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Kimberly Rodriguez / APPR. / (916) 
          319-2081