HOUSE BILL No. 4364

 

March 19, 2015, Introduced by Reps. Santana and Pscholka and referred to the Committee on Appropriations.

 

      A bill to amend 2002 PA 733, entitled

 

"State plumbing act,"

 

by amending section 31 (MCL 338.3541), as amended by 2012 PA 311.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

 1        Sec. 31. (1) A license or apprentice registration issued

 

 2  under this act must be renewed not more than 60 days after the

 

 3  renewal date. It is the responsibility of a licensee or

 

 4  registrant to renew a license or registration. The department

 

 5  shall send a renewal application to the last known address of a

 

 6  licensee or registrant on file with the department. Every holder

 

 7  of a license or registration issued under this act shall promptly

 

 8  notify the department of a change in his or her business or

 

 9  residence address. The failure of a licensee or registrant to

 

10  notify the department of a change of address does not extend the

 


 1  expiration date of a license or registration. The department may

 

 2  issue licenses for up to 3 years in duration.

 

 3        (2) The annual fees for initial licensure, apprentice

 

 4  plumber registration, or renewal of a license and registration

 

 5  issued under this act are as follows:

 

 

      (a)         If paid after September 30, 2015:

      (i)          Journey plumber...................  $  20.00.

      (ii)         Apprentice plumber................  $   5.00.

      (b)         If paid on or before September 30, 2015:

10       (a) (i)      Journey plumber...................  $  40.00.

11       (b) (ii)     Apprentice plumber................  $  15.00.

 

 

12        (3) A license or apprentice registration that is not renewed

 

13  within 60 days of expiration may be reinstated only by applying

 

14  to the board for reinstatement and the payment of the annual

 

15  renewal fee and the following reinstatement fee:

 

 

16       (a)         If paid after September 30, 2015:

17       (i)          Journey plumber...................  $  25.00.

18       (ii)         Apprentice plumber................  $  10.00.

19       (b)         If paid on or before September 30, 2015:

20       (a) (i)      Journey plumber...................  $  50.00.

21       (b) (ii)     Apprentice plumber................  $  20.00.

 

 

22        (4) An individual who is requesting renewal of a license

 

23  under subsection (3) within 3 years after the license is expired

 

24  is not subject to reexamination for the license but is required

 

25  to pay the reinstatement fee and the annual renewal fee for each

 


 1  year the license was not renewed. An individual who fails to

 

 2  renew a license for more than 3 consecutive years is required to

 

 3  meet the experience and other requirements and take an

 

 4  examination for the class of license requested.

 

 5        (5) Examination fees under this act are as follows:

 

 

      (a)         If paid after September 30, 2015:

      (i)          Plumbing contractor...............  $  50.00.

      (ii)         Master plumber....................  $  50.00.

      (iii)         Journey plumber...................  $  50.00.

10       (b)         If paid on or before September 30, 2015:

11       (a) (i)      Plumbing contractor...............  $ 100.00.

12       (b) (ii)     Master plumber....................  $ 100.00.

13       (c) (iii)     Journey plumber...................  $ 100.00.

 

 

14        (6) The department shall issue an initial master plumber or

 

15  plumbing contractor license for a period of up to 3 years. A

 

16  master plumber or plumbing contractor license is renewable for

 

17  periods of 3 years. If an individual is applying for initial or

 

18  reinstatement license at a time other than between April 30 and

 

19  June 30 of the year in which the department issues renewal

 

20  licenses, the department shall compute and charge the license fee

 

21  on a yearly prorated basis beginning the year of application

 

22  until the last year of the 3-year license period.

 

23        (7) The initial and renewal fee for a master plumber or

 

24  plumbing contractor license issued under this act are as follows:

 

 

25       (a)         If paid after September 30, 2015:

26       (i)          Plumbing contractor...............  $ 200.00.


      (ii)         Master plumber....................  $ 200.00.

      (b)         If paid on or before September 30, 2015:

      (a) (i)      Plumbing contractor...............  $ 300.00.

      (b) (ii)     Master plumber....................  $ 300.00.

 

 

 5        (8) A plumbing contractor or master plumber license that is

 

 6  not renewed within 60 days of expiration may be reinstated only

 

 7  by applying to the board and paying the renewal fee and , if paid

 

 8  after September 30, 2015, an $85.00 a $100.00 reinstatement fee.

 

 9  , and $100.00 if paid on or before September 30, 2015.

 

10        (9) The department shall issue an initial or renewal license

 

11  for a master plumber or a plumbing contractor under this act not

 

12  later than 90 days after the applicant files a completed

 

13  application. The date of filing of the application is considered

 

14  the date the application is received by any agency or department

 

15  of this state. If the application is considered incomplete by the

 

16  department, the department shall notify the applicant in writing,

 

17  or make the information electronically available to the

 

18  applicant, within 30 days after the date of filing of the

 

19  incomplete application, describing the deficiency and requesting

 

20  the additional information. The 90-day period is tolled from the

 

21  date of notification by the department of a deficiency until the

 

22  date the requested information is received by the department. The

 

23  determination of the completeness of an application does not

 

24  operate as an approval of the application for the license and

 

25  does not confer eligibility of an applicant determined otherwise

 

26  ineligible for issuance of a license.

 


 1        (10) If the department fails to issue or deny a license

 

 2  within the time required under this section, the department shall

 

 3  return the license fee and shall reduce the license fee for the

 

 4  applicant's next renewal application, if any, by 15%. The failure

 

 5  to issue a license within the time required under this section

 

 6  does not allow the department to otherwise delay the processing

 

 7  of the application, and the department shall place that

 

 8  application, when completed, in sequence with other completed

 

 9  applications received at that same time. The department shall not

 

10  discriminate against an applicant in the processing of the

 

11  application based on the fact that the license fee was refunded

 

12  or discounted under this subsection.

 

13        (11) The director shall submit a report by December 1 of

 

14  each year to the standing committees and appropriations

 

15  subcommittees of the senate and house of representatives

 

16  concerned with occupational issues. The director shall include

 

17  all of the following information in the report concerning the

 

18  preceding fiscal year:

 

19        (a) The number of initial and renewal applications the

 

20  department received and completed within the 90-day time period

 

21  described in subsection (9).

 

22        (b) The number of applications denied by the department.

 

23        (c) The number of applicants who were not issued a license

 

24  within the 90-day time period and the amount of money returned to

 

25  licensees under subsection (10).

 

26        (12) The department shall waive any fee otherwise required

 

27  under this section or section 35 if the person responsible for

 


 1  paying the fee meets any of the following:

 

 2        (a) If the person is an individual, he or she is, and

 

 3  provides proof satisfactory to the department that he or she is,

 

 4  an honorably discharged veteran of the armed forces of the United

 

 5  States.

 

 6        (b) If the person is a nonprofit corporation organized on a

 

 7  membership or directorship basis, a majority of the members or

 

 8  directors, as applicable, are, and the person provides proof

 

 9  satisfactory to the department that a majority of the members or

 

10  directors are, honorably discharged veterans of the armed forces

 

11  of the United States.

 

12        (c) If the person is not an individual or a nonprofit

 

13  corporation described in subdivision (b), a majority of the

 

14  shares or other ownership interests of the person are, and the

 

15  person provides proof satisfactory to the department that those

 

16  interests are, held by 1 or more honorably discharged veterans of

 

17  the armed forces of the United States.

 

18        (13) As used in this section, "completed application" means

 

19  an application that is complete on its face and submitted with

 

20  any applicable licensing fees and any other information, records,

 

21  approval, security, or similar item required by law or rule from

 

22  a local unit of government, a federal agency, or a private entity

 

23  but not from another department or agency of this state.

 

24        Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect October

 

25  1, 2015.