NEWS AND NOTES – SEPTEMBER, 2024
These News and Notes will be a little different from other issues due to many issues occurring in our trade.
First of all, we have had some disturbing and distracting news concerning Mr. John Bull. As of October 1, 2024, he will no longer be the Executive Director for the Electrical Administrative Board for the Department of Licensing and Regulation. In the past, we found Mr. Bull listened to various board and industry leaders, tried to take positive actions to uphold State laws while protecting the public, and that he contributed to making Maryland a leader in regulating the various trades under his jurisdiction. HE WILL BE MISSED.
Continuing education and the way electrical examinations are constructed and given are still prime issues being discussed. You can go to our website and discover those organizations and individuals who provide continuing education and visit their websites for more information.
NEC TEST QUESTIONS ON THE STATE ELECTRICAL EXAM
After some amendments and then being signed into law by the governor, Senate Bill 762 changed Maryland’s electrical law and became effective January 1, 2022. Consequently, we hope you will find the timelines listed below helpful in explaining where we are in the process of preparing for and taking the State Electrical Examination.
• On January 1, 2022, testing agencies were using questions based on the 2017 NEC.
• Plans were made to start using the 2020 NEC as a basis for test questions on the State Electrical Exam. There is an 18-month delay provision, allowing the trade to become familiar with new code changes, and the trade has had over a year and half to become familiar with that edition.
• However, due to an unexpected workload – the DLLR was issuing new apprenticeships, journeypersons, and renewing master licenses for over 12,000 applicants – they could not meet or comply with the new date. Some valuable personnel left for other jobs or retired, and this created a backlog in that Division.
• Therefore, the Dept. of Labor and Licensing started to use questions from the 2020 NEC for the electrical examination, but only starting on January 1, 2024. So, at the present time, the State Electrical Examination questions are based on the 2020 editions of the code.
• As a reminder, the National Electrical Code changes every three years. This allows for new and emerging ideas in wiring methods and equipment to be introduced, while deleting some outdated code items.
• In order to get back on a proposed schedule, the ELM, along with other industry organizations, continue to recommend that the State of Maryland satisfy the 18-month provision and begin to test on the 2023 edition of the National Electrical Code by at least January 1, 2025 or June, 30, 2025.
As we contemplate the situation, it seems the aforementioned date of January 1, 2025 might need to change to June 30, 2025. The additional six months would give us an opportunity to talk with code officials in the industry and have people familiar with the 2023 NEC develop exam questions. Since the NEC changes every three years, the 2026 Code would be distributed in late 2025 to the public and perhaps we could get back on schedule, taking into account the 18-month delay.
Note: Work is also being done to revise the format of the examination to make it easier for PSI testing agencies to administer, and not as complicated for the test taker. All of this takes time, as proposals must be discussed, accepted, and approved by the DLLR and the trade. We continue to advocate for the electrical trade.
Additionally, we thought we had resolved the issue of providing a State-wide electrical code, of providing State-wide penalties for no-compliance of the law, and we tried to set standards for PSI for the electrical testing because we understand that they are giving the test anywhere in the United States and at any time. Please go to the PSI website to obtain their information firsthand. We may have to start from scratch and talk to our delegates and senators and new personnel in the DLLR to accomplish our goals, since Mr. Bull is no longer there.
We are concerned that some State mandatory rules have been passed into law that are almost impossible to enforce and that pose safety problems. For example: 3,000 grinder pumps have been installed (and many more to come) that if a loss of power to the pump occurs or it has been installed improperly, could cause sewerage backup that would be a health problem. Another example involves electric vehicle fires. When these vehicles are installed below grade in garages, there may not be enough water to put out the fire, and sometimes, the location of controls, disconnects, etc., are in the restricted area and makes it a hazard for first responders.
A recent Contractor’s Meeting produced some timely information presented by Baltimore County representatives and Fire Marshals; we are passing it on to you via our website – www.elmd.org. Speaking of the ELM website, we’ve attached some suggestions for our website and would like your feedback. We know we need interaction with other trade organizations, and we want to provide the latest legislative news and other material that will help everyone navigate the electrical experience.
Don’t forget that we are the most progressive and innovative industry…an industry where skilled workers earn higher wages and have a better living standard than most tradespeople. We can invest in and innovate in the electrical industry, and we hope we can count on you to recruit people and to be an active member of our trade.
Gil Thompson, ELM Legislative Liaison and Vice President
ELM WEBSITE SUGGESTIONS
Do you have an idea or area of knowledge you would like to see offered on the Electric League of Maryland website? Please write us at P. O. Box 4, Fork, MD 21051 or Email deerfieldelectric.com, Attention ELM your thoughts. We’d love to hear from you.
Align the site to important organizations and provide links.
Continuing Education Opportunities Promoted
o MD Dept. of Labor link
o Select outstanding presenters that the ELM would recommend
o ELM provide at least one affordable and well-presented CE opportunity per year
Provide quarterly “News and Notes” to benefit readers.
Announce industry organizations – when they meet and what they do.
Become a conduit for advertising available positions for electricians.
Provide legislative updates and solicit content from sponsoring legislators.
Advertise social activities of various organizations.
Provide information on all of the training and apprenticeship schools in Maryland and links to obtaining information.
Provide information on the procedures for testing and locations offering exam…link to the PSI Testing site.
Provide information on why it is important to become a Master Electrician and the process to become one.
Research quotes from Leaders in the Field and put them on our website each quarter.
New and emerging ideas (solar, electric car, Wave Technology, etc.)
Research and provide statistics on Electricians: How many are employed in MD; the age demographic; how many passed the exam in the last five years; the largest employer of electricians;
