1. Review of HVAC/R Testing and Licensing Proposed Final Report Joint Legislative Audit & Review Committee Keenan Konopaski September 14, 2005

2. JLARC Review of HVAC/R2 Study Objectives Overview 1. What is HVAC/R, and who is doing the work? 2. What are current licensing, certification, and testing requirements? 3. How do these compare with other trades in Washington, and with other states?   In addressing these objectives, JLARC identified four issues that merit recommendations for improvement.

3. JLARC Review of HVAC/R3 Issue #1: Certification Requirements Issue: Existing requirements do not guarantee trainees have electrical knowledge or experience. Recommendation: L&I should assure that technicians have electrical knowledge and experience before certification. – –May be achieved by requiring trainees to perform a minimal level of electrical work or specific tasks in the course of the required 4,000 hours. L&I and OFM Concur. report page 19

4. JLARC Review of HVAC/R4 Issue #2: Training Rationale Issue: There is a lack of clarity in rationale for training hours, and firms are not universally aware of options to reduce training hours. Recommendation: L&I should more clearly explain its methodology for determining training requirements and clarify agency rules to inform HVAC/R technicians of their options to reduce required training hours. L&I and OFM Concur. report page 20

5. JLARC Review of HVAC/R5 Issue #3: Certifying Non-Electrical Work Issue: Electrical work is the only technical aspect of HVAC/R that is licensed, but HVAC/R work can involve safety issues in other areas, such as gas plumbing. Recommendation: L&I should provide fiscal and public safety estimates of scenarios for certifying other aspects of HVAC/R work. L&I and OFM Concur. report page 21

6. JLARC Review of HVAC/R6 Issue #4: Electrical Board Composition Issue: Specialty electricians, such as HVAC/R, are not specifically represented on the Electrical Board. Recommendation: If the Legislature wishes to more broadly represent regulated entities with knowledge of trade-specific equipment, it should revisit the Board’s current composition. L&I and OFM Concur. report pages 22-24