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County To Vote On Changing Electrician Licensing Exams from Closed Book To Open Book On Wednesday
By Tina Traster
Trades people across Rockland County are sounding the alarms over an effort led by Rockland County Legislator Itamar Yeger (District 4) to ease, or in some cases, gut the rules and regulations for contractors and skilled trades professionals.
Earlier this week, Yeger clashed with members of the Board of Electrical Examiners over his proposal to reduce the number of years an electrician needs to obtain a license to operate legally in the county. Participants say Yeger originally proposed reducing the required 7.5 years needed “working for the public at large” to five, though agreed to raise that proposal to six.
The Board of Electrical Examiners opposes the change.
“This is a safety issue,” said Christine Bailey, whose partner is a Master Electrician at Vista Electrical Contractors, Inc. of West Nyack. Vista has 30 employees working under the Master Electrician’s license. “He wants to take away 1.5 years of experience. This is unacceptable. Seven years is the standard statewide.”
Also at issue is the phrase “public at large,” with members of the board saying it’s imperative for electricians to work at least seven years in the private sector. While they say they can support other proposed changes, including backing a proposal to allow electricians seeking licenses to take open-book exams, including access to a calculating device. Current law permits only closed-book exams. A local law to amend Rockland County Code Chapter 250, proposed by Yeger, will be up for a vote on Wednesday at the Rockland County Legislature’s meeting.
A second public hearing on laws for Rockland County home-improvement contractors has been pulled from the agenda.
This is an especially charged issue given the importance of electrical safety and the integrity of electrical contractors. Their work has an impact on lives, homes, businesses and public buildings. Tragic fires in Spring Valley over the past few years highlight the importance of licensing and scrutiny. In March 2023, a devastating fire at a multifamily home in Spring Valley left five people dead, including two minors. Firefighters determined that a faulty electrical outlet was the likely cause of the blaze. Following the incident, the Rockland County Office of Buildings and Codes conducted inspections and found over 400 violations at this home and the landlord’s eight other properties. These violations included electrical issues and missing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
Attorney Robert Zitt, representing the Independent Contractors of Rockland, sent a letter to the Rockland County Legislature on March 16 outlining several concerns over the functioning and autonomy of the trade board, including the legislature’s proposal to ease the testing format.
“This examination structure reflects the considered judgement of the Board, which consists of individuals with experience and expertise in the electrical trade,” he writes. “While the Amendment may seem insignificant from a substantive perspective, it presents a greater concern as it relates to Legislative circumvention of the County’s Boards or Commissions and the rules and regulations they were empowered to set.”
The Board examines qualifications and fitness of applicants for licenses.
Zitt goes on to say the amendment “would override” the regulatory framework…and would “effectively nullify a portion of the Board’s duly adopted rules without formally amending these rules and without the involvement of the board in the rulemaking process.”
The attorney acknowledges the county legislature has the right and authority to amend laws, but argues that the Board of Electrical Examiners was created to be an arbiter of standards for professionals with technical specializations. “Put simply, the proposed Amendment alters examination procedures in a matter than conflicts with the regulatory framework the Legislature previously authorized and approved. This approach reverses the regulatory structure established by Chapter 250.”
“It is not for this Legislature to arrogate to itself a function reserved to the Board,” Zitt writes.
Electricians who are feeling uneasy over Yeger’s wider and ongoing efforts to ease regulations, and potentially de-fang the County’s Consumer Protection department, say they are angry.
“He’s trying to get rid or water down the licensing boards,” said Dorian Tunell, owner of Tunell Electric in Piermont. “The legislative boards have no ideas about the trades. It is the job of the electrical board to provide input on these topics.”
Tunell and others say the boards and the County’s Consumer Protection department is a firewall between consumers and unlicensed electricians.
“A disproportionate number of complaints Consumer Protection receives about unlicensed electricians comes from Ramapo,” said Tunell.
RCBJ reached out to Yeger by email and phone for comment but did not get a response. Yeger’s District 4 is primarily located within the Town of Ramapo, covering unincorporated portions of the town, and the Village of New Hempstead.
Tradespeople across several disciplines say discussions are being held with union members, Rockland County’s Department of Consumer Protection, and County Executive Ed Day.
“I share the same concerns of the Board of Electrical Examiners on lowering the experience needed to license electricians,” said Day. “I am not comfortable with the way this is playing out, and these requirements are in place to protect all of us.”
