By: Birdwell, Huffines	S.B. No. 953
	Perry

	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
	AN ACT
	relating to an exemption for certain persons who sell signs from the
	requirement to be licensed as an electrician.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1.  Section 1305.003(a), Occupations Code, is
	amended to read as follows:
	(a)  This chapter does not apply to:
	(1)  the installation of electrical equipment in a
	ship, watercraft other than a floating building, railway rolling
	stock, aircraft, motor vehicle, or recreational vehicle;
	(2)  the installation of electrical equipment
	underground in a mine and in self-propelled mobile surface mining
	machinery and its attendant electrical trailing cable;
	(3)  the installation of electrical equipment for
	generation, transformation, transmission, or distribution of power
	used exclusively to operate railway rolling stock or exclusively
	for signaling and communications purposes;
	(4)  the installation, maintenance, alteration, or
	repair of communications equipment provided by a
	telecommunications provider;
	(5)  the installation, maintenance, alteration, or
	repair of electrical equipment under the exclusive control of an
	electric utility, power generation company as defined by Sections
	31.002(1) and (10), Utilities Code, electric cooperative, or
	municipally owned utility and used for communications or metering,
	or for the generation, control, transformation, transmission, and
	distribution of electrical energy, and located:
	(A)  in a building used exclusively by a utility
	or power generation company for those purposes;
	(B)  outdoors on property owned or leased by the
	utility or power generation company;
	(C)  on public highways, streets, roads, or other
	public rights-of-way; or
	(D)  outdoors by established rights in vaults or
	on private property;
	(6)  work not specifically regulated by a municipal
	ordinance that is performed in or on a dwelling by a person who owns
	and resides in the dwelling;
	(7)  work involved in the manufacture of electrical
	equipment that includes the on-site and off-site manufacturing,
	commissioning, testing, calibrating, coordinating,
	troubleshooting, or evaluating of electrical equipment, the
	repairing or retrofitting of electrical equipment with components
	of the same ampacity, and the maintenance and servicing of
	electrical equipment within the equipment's enclosure that is
	performed by an authorized employee or authorized representative of
	an electrical equipment manufacturer and limited to the type of
	products manufactured by the manufacturer;
	(8)  electrical work if:
	(A)  the work is performed by a person who does not
	engage in electrical work for the public;
	(B)  the work is performed by a person regularly
	employed as a maintenance person or maintenance electrician for a
	business; and
	(C)  the electrical work does not involve the
	installation of electrical equipment during new construction as
	defined by rules adopted under Chapter 151, Tax Code;
	(9)  the installation, maintenance, alteration, or
	repair of electrical equipment or associated wiring under the
	exclusive control of a gas utility and used for communications or
	metering or for the control, transmission, or distribution of
	natural gas;
	(10)  thoroughfare lighting, traffic signals,
	intelligent transportation systems, and telecommunications
	controlled by a governmental entity;
	(11)  electrical connections supplying heating,
	ventilation, and cooling and refrigeration equipment, including
	any required disconnect exclusively for the equipment, if the
	service is performed by a licensed air conditioning and
	refrigeration contractor under Chapter 1302;
	(12)  the design, installation, erection, repair, or
	alteration of Class 1, Class 2, or Class 3 remote control,
	signaling, or power-limited circuits, fire alarm circuits, optical
	fiber cables, or communications circuits, including raceways, as
	defined by the National Electrical Code;
	(13)  landscape irrigation installers, as necessary to
	perform the installation and maintenance of irrigation control
	systems, and landscapers, as necessary to perform the installation
	and maintenance of low-voltage exterior lighting and holiday
	lighting excluding any required power source;
	(14)  electrical work performed at a business that
	operates:
	(A)  a chemical plant, petrochemical plant,
	refinery, natural gas plant, natural gas treating plant, pipeline,
	or oil and gas exploration and production operation by a person who
	works solely for and is employed by that business; or
	(B)  a chemical plant, petrochemical plant,
	refinery, natural gas plant, or natural gas treatment plant by a
	person who under a contract of at least 12 months' duration performs
	electrical work for that plant and:
	(i)  the electrical work is not performed
	during new construction as defined by rules adopted under Chapter
	151, Tax Code; or
	(ii)  the person is not working for a
	contractor that has a principal place of business in another state
	or territory of the United States or a foreign country;
	(15)  the installation, maintenance, alteration, or
	repair of elevators, escalators, or related equipment, excluding
	any required power source, regulated under Chapter 754, Health and
	Safety Code;
	(16)  the installation, maintenance, alteration, or
	repair of equipment or network facilities provided or utilized by a
	cable operator, as that term is defined by 47 U.S.C. Section 522, as
	amended;
	(17)  the location, design, construction, extension,
	maintenance, and installation of on-site sewage disposal systems in
	accordance with Chapter 366, Health and Safety Code, or an on-site
	sewage facility installer licensed under Chapter 37, Water Code;
	(18)  electrical work performed on a building,
	structure, or equipment in agricultural use as defined by Section
	11.002, Water Code, other than the processing of an agricultural
	commodity;
	(19)  the installation, maintenance, alteration, or
	repair of well pumps and equipment in accordance with Chapter 1902;
	(20)  electrical work required for the construction and
	assembly of HUD-code manufactured housing or modular housing and
	building units, other than the installation of service entrance
	conductors, that is performed by a licensed manufacturer or
	installer under Chapter 1201 or 1202, as applicable, if work
	performed is within the scope of the license as defined by
	applicable statutes and administrative rules;
	(21)  work performed by a plumber who holds a license or
	endorsement or is registered under Chapter 1301 that is necessary
	to install, service, maintain, repair, or replace any type of
	plumbing fixture or appliance, as described by Section 1301.002(7),
	including a water heater, food disposer, garbage disposal, water
	softener, dishwashing machine, and clothes washing machine on
	existing electrical circuits only;
	(22)  the maintenance or repair of a residential
	appliance by a residential appliance dealer or manufacturer or a
	person authorized by a residential appliance dealer or manufacturer
	using only components of the same type and ampacity as the original
	components; [and]
	(23)  the maintenance, alteration, or repair of a
	pool-related electrical device by, or pool-related electrical
	maintenance performed by, an employee of a municipality on a pool
	owned or operated by the municipality; and
	(24)  a person who sells or offers to sell a sign that
	requires electrical work or electrical sign work in connection with
	the construction or installation of the sign if the person:
	(A)  does not perform that electrical work or
	electrical sign work;
	(B)  uses only an electrical contractor or an
	electrical sign contractor licensed under this chapter to perform
	that work; and
	(C)  provides to the person buying the sign in
	writing the name and license number of the electrical contractor or
	electrical sign contractor hired to install the sign.
	SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
	Act takes effect September 1, 2015.