GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
IEC of Oregon Government Affairs
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IEC of Oregon is committed to monitoring the activities of the city, county, state and federal government – legislative, agency administrative, regulatory and legal issues – to assess the resulting impact on the open shop electrical industry in Oregon.
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IEC of Oregon analyzes issues, addresses technical components and educates lawmakers, and its own membership on how proposed and enacted legislation, agency programs, regulations and court decisions will affect the open shop electrical industry.
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Over the past 45 years, the IEC of Oregon’s Government Affairs Committee has gained respect and serves on a variety of agency and regulatory state committees. Aided by esteemed lobbyist Shawn Miller of Miller Public Affairs, the GAC allocates time and resources, sets legislative priorities, devises strategies and fights for IEC’s position on public policy.
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IEC of Oregon members are invited to support the IEC Political Action Committee Fund.
IEC of Oregon Important Achievements at the State Level
OR/WA Reciprocal For General Journey Level Electricians — IEC of Oregon collaborated to get license reciprocity between Oregon and Washington passed. Please see details under State Legislative Updates or the Member-Only page.
Limited Electrical Energy Licenses Reduction — IEC worked with the Building Codes Division and passed legislation to decrease the number of Limited Energy Electrician licenses from 11 to 2. The bill eliminated confusion by licensees and regulators as to requirements, scope of work and continuing education.
Stopped Expansion of Prevailing Wage on Private Projects — IEC has been victorious in nearly every legislative session by killing the union’s attempt to expand prevailing wage to private projects within enterprise zones.
Prompt Payment — IEC passed legislation providing for payment timelines for owners, contractors and subcontractors on commercial construction projects.
Apprenticeship Ratio — IEC pushed legislation in 2005 (HB 2374) requiring the State Apprenticeship and Training Council to adopt rules establishing a minimum 1 to 1 numeric ratio of journeymen to apprentices for each apprenticeable occupation. Although the bill did not pass, it forced BOLI Commissioner Dan Gardner to increase the number of apprentices on projects and to this day — IEC continues to push for a 1-1 ratio.
E-Permitting — IEC worked to pave the way for statewide one-stop E-permitting, promoting consistency, predictability, timeliness and efficiency — as the construction industry’s most important regulatory streamlining initiative.
Predictable Scheduling — Oregon became the first state to pass legislation on work scheduling requirements. However, IEC worked to exempt the construction industry and place a permanent local preemption on predictable/flex scheduling that prevents Portland and other
cities from enacting local ordinances.
Retainage — IEC pushed and passed legislation that cut the retainage requirement onconstruction projects in half putting more money in subcontractors’ pockets.
Fire Code — IEC passed legislation to clarify that the Building Codes Division has the authority over the State’s Fire Marshal for fire codes.
Expanded Minor Label Program — IEC successfully led the way to clarify and expand the scope of work for the minor label program — resulting in cost savings and increased job efficiency as well as benefits for the consumer.
Oregon State Legislative Update
2021 State Legislative Updates
OR/WA Reciprocal General Journey Level Electrician
To understand if you qualify for reciprocity read the agreement:
For Oregon License Holders
Washington reciprocal certificates are available to those electricians who obtained their Oregon general journeyman electrician (J) licenses after completing an 8000-hour Apprenticeship and passing their Oregon exams. Anyone having an Oregon General Supervising Electrician (S) license obtained by Oregon examination is also eligible. To apply, submit an Application for a Reciprocal 01 General Journey Level Electrician Certificate
To qualify for reciprocity you will need to verify your Oregon electrical license. Fax Part C of the application to:
Attention: Cheri Alamani
Building Codes Division
FAX: 503 378-2322
For Washington License Holders
Oregon reciprocal licenses are available to those who obtained Washington (01) general journey level electrician certificates after completing an 8000-hour Apprenticeship and making a passing score on their Washington exams. Anyone having a Washington master (01) general journey level electrician certificate is also eligible. To apply submit Oregon Reciprocal Electrical License Application
Information for applicants needing verification for hours in Washington
If you need licensing verification from the state of Washington, include your verification document with a Request for a Letter of Good Standing (F500-128-000) and fee of $26.40. Mail everything to us at the address shown in the top left corner of the good standing form.
The 2021 Oregon Legislative Sessions
The 2021 Oregon legislative session began on January 21, 2021 and will end on June 28, 2021. There are currently 4,000 bills in front of this session.
In the 2020 elections, the Oregon State Senate remains a Democratic supermajority of 18 to 12. There are currently 18 Democrats, 10 Republicans, 1 Independent and, 1 vacancy. A bill needs 16 to pass in the Senate.
There are 60 members in the Oregon State Legislature. The House currently has 37 Democrats and 23 Republicans. It takes 31 votes to pass in the House.
Overall the state of Oregon will be concerned with the top three priorities:
- Wildfire Recovery
- Equity Issues for communities of color
- COVID Recovery
There are twelve bills that are priorities for the Independent Electrical Contractor and Merit Shop operator. To see those bills and IEC of Oregon’s position, please go to the Member Only page.
National Advocacy with Independent Electrical Contractors
Four major areas of support from National Independent Electrical Contractors to serve you
1 Codes and Standards
IEC is actively engaged in developing codes and standards for the electrical industry.
Through the national Codes & Standards Committee, IEC is directly involved in a large variety of codes and standards activities, including representation on 18 code-making panels of the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) 70 National Electrical Code (NEC).
IEC works closely with the International Association of Electrical Inspectors (IAEI) and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) to develop the NEC. IEC also participates in the development of the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) and reviews standards created by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL).
IEC participation directly impacts the electrical industry. Click HERE for more information on IEC’s involvement with Codes and Standards.
2 National Legislative Affairs
As merit shop contractors, there are certain legislative issues that directly impact the business of IEC members. Labor, energy, tax, jobs, and workforce development are all major political issues taking place at the national level that have the ability to greatly affect the electrical contracting industry. IEC will continue to support issues in the best interest our membership.
Click HERE to see more information on
- National Priority Issues
- The ProAct
- Workforce Development Legislation
- Labor and Wages; Energy and Tax
- And More
3 National Regulatory Affairs
There are a number of federal regulatory agencies whose actions and decisions may directly impact your business, the electrical trade, and the merit shop.
Many recent proposed new regulations have the potential to be costly and burdensome on IEC members, particularly smaller businesses. IEC makes sure to actively weigh in on any proposed regulatory changes affecting the electrical industry to ensure merit shop concerns are taken into consideration by key agency decision-makers. These include:
- Department of Labor
- PLAs
- OSHA
- SBA
Click HERE for more information.
4 Industry Outreach
IEC strongly believes in building a strong workforce that can adapt to changing economic times and bolster the electrical contracting industry. In this aim, IEC reaches out to various audiences to create relationships and provide education about the electrical industry.
Click HERE to see more on
- Veteran Outreach
- Explore The Trades
- Hire A Hero
- National Guard Employment Programs
- Department of Veterans Affairs