House Bills 4987 and 4988

Complete to 1-24-00

A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILLS 4987 AND 4988 AS INTRODUCED 10-12-99

The bills would establish a separate license for carpenter contractors and set license fees. The bills are tie-barred to each other, and would do the following:

House Bill 4987 would amend the Occupational Code (MCL 339.2401 et al.) to remove carpentry from the list of crafts and trades performed by a licensed residential maintenance and alteration contractor and create a separate carpentry contractor's license. A "carpenter contractor" would mean a person that was engaged in carpentry for a fixed sum, price, fee, percentage, or other consideration of value, other than for wages for personal labor only. "Carpentry" would be defined as the erecting, installing, altering, repairing, servicing, or maintaining of wooden structures or their structural parts and would include, but not be limited to, all framing, decks, walls, ceilings, roofs, and components that go to make the framing of a structure complete in wood construction, including the prefabrication of any wood structure or component.

For a period of one year after the bill's effective date, the Department of Consumer and Industry Services (CIS) would have to issue a carpenter contractor license to a person who applied to the department, paid the applicable license and application fees, and demonstrated that he or she had been working as a carpenter contractor for at least 12 of the preceding 24 months. After that time, carpenter contractors would be regulated by the provisions currently regulating residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractors. The bill would also change the membership and name of the Residential Builders' and Maintenance and Alteration Contractors' Board to add carpenter contractors; the board would comprise two licensed members of each profession. Not later than 180 days after the bill's effective date, the director of CIS would have to promulgate rules to establish master, journey, and apprentice classes of carpenters. Existing industry standards that define and set forth skill levels regarding the classes could be adopted by reference.

House Bill 4988 would amend the State License Fee Act (MCL 338.2239) to set the application processing fee, examination fees, and annual license fee for a carpenter contractor at the same fee structure as what is currently set for residential builders and residential maintenance and alteration contractors.

Analyst: S. Stutzky

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.