HB 268 - LICENSING SPECIALTY CONTRACTORS Number 1261 CHAIR ANDERSON announced that the next order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 268, "An Act relating to an exemption for specialty contractors under the laws regulating architects, engineers, land surveyors, and landscape architects." Number 1274 DONALD J. IVERSON, P.E., Member, State Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors ("the AELS board"), noted that he is also a consulting engineer in Anchorage. He relayed that he wished to speak in favor of HB 268, adding that the AELS board feels that the bill will offer clarity with regard to what specialty contractors can do. REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG asked for an example of something that HB 268 would correct. MR. IVERSON replied: From what our enforcement officer told us, there are some contractors in rural communities, more than any place else, that have been doing complete mechanical - for example - designs. And the intent of this is to allow the specialty things like shop drawings for pieces of equipment that another engineer has reviewed [or] will review ... Or in the case of an electrical contractor, [with] let's say a fire alarm system, they would draw the specifics of it, but the engineer of record will check and approve that design. It's more of a clarification; I think the intent has always been that the complete [designs] of mechanical/electrical systems, for example, are done by professional engineers. REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG asked whether such isn't already required under state law. MR. IVERSON indicated that it is. REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG asked whether contractors that do their own shop drawings can use "off-the-shelf components." Number 1414 MR. IVERSON said that they may, and then those shop drawings are normally sent through to the engineer of record for review and approval. He added, however, that engineers don't normally get that far into the specifics of an off-the-shelf piece of equipment, and "that's why you have this kind of exception." He explained: If you take a fire alarm system, for example, every manufacturer does it slightly differently. And if I ..., as an engineer, were trying to design it, I couldn't design the specifics of that manufacturer's equipment because I need a competitive bid - I need different manufacturers to bid on it. So, when he has won the bid, if you will, then he sends through the specifics of his equipment - shop drawings - and then I would review that and make sure that it is meeting the life safety codes and the understanding of the specification. REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG asked how much an electrical contractor could do with a shop drawing without having an engineering stamp on it. Where is the line drawn? MR. IVERSON remarked that that is difficult to say, adding that the ramifications to the whole building must be considered when whole-scale changes are made, and that such changes must be made by an engineer. In response to a question, he remarked that a "UL-approved switch" is required by other statutes. Number 1628 PATRICK H. KALEN, PLS, Member, State Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors ("the AELS board"), added that the AELS board did not think that HB 268, as currently worded, interfered with a contractor's ability to submit shop drawings. Number 1638 HEATH HILYARD, Staff to Representative Lesil McGuire, Alaska State Legislature, indicated, on behalf of Representative McGuire, sponsor, that HB 268 would to some extent limit the ability of specialty contractors to do original design work of "that" nature. He mentioned that the Mechanical Contractors of Alaska, Inc., would be meeting that evening to decide whether to take an official position on HB 268. He surmised that if anyone has any concerns about the bill, they could be addressed in the House Rules Standing Committee. Number 1700 REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG, after noting that he didn't really like the bill and had concerns about it, moved to report HB 268 out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying zero fiscal note. There being no objection, HB 268 was reported from the House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.