Regarding H5414 and S919 (Bills pushed by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers), which would prohibit home inspectors from opening electrical service panels during home inspections in Rhode Island:
In May 2023, on behalf of InterNACHI, I retained The Victor Group (a registered lobbyist) to devise and implement a comprehensive legislative strategy to defeat these two Bills that were moving through the general assembly.
Our lobbyist engaged with the speaker Shekarchi and senate president Ruggerio to express our concerns regarding the Bills and their impacts, and also met with Matt Weldon (DLT director) to discuss our opposition to the Bills. I worked on the Board of REALTORs side to gather support for our cause explaining that InterNACHI members find defects that protect the safety of our shared clients. I also explained to the IBEW (to no avail, IMHO), that home inspectors find defects that their members are then paid to correct.
By acting quickly (we had almost no warning about these Bills), it appears we achieved some success.
We were promised that although the senate Bill will be voted in the committee, it will be held and not transmitted to the floor; thus giving InterNACHI more time to prepare an amendment if the Bill was to move forward. Although the legislation is not dead, InterNACHI was able to curb the senate’s appetite to move this Bill forward.,
Update: So far, S919 was never sent to the senate floor for a vote and H5414 never made it out of committee.
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I want to thank Nick Gromicko and InterNachi for Hiring the lobbyist to help RI home inspectors fight the Electrical union on these Dangerous bills that would prohibit Home inspectors from conducting any level of electrical inspections. Myself and my fellow home inspector Board member Paul Brunetti have been fighting on this issue for 2 years now. Currently this is just a Rhode Island issue, but I assure you, if the IBEW wins in this state, they will most certainly start trying this in other states. Nick has been following this issue close and we would have been steam rolled in the legislature. I gave testimony before the House and Senate, I lobbied with the Board of realtors, the state building council, the RI Builders Association, the RI contractors licensing board, and any other organization who could listen and we defeated the bills this time. I know they will not stop and we wont stop either. We are proposing our own bills that would exempt home inspectors from any such restrictions as we are Trained, Certified, Licensed and Insured to do this work, and we are saving lives. Thanks again to Nick and InterNachi. We could not have done this without your help.
How does the signing of RI H7015 and S 2120 affect RI home inspections?
They were signed June 26 2024.
It doesn’t seem to restrict home inspections to me, but I was contacted by a realtor today who was told by his office manager that these bills now require real estate agents to hire a licensed electrician to conduct the inspection for real estate transactions, and that they can not use a home inspector for electrical.
David - whats the final decision on this for 2024? I’ve read the house and senate bills signed into law this summer but Its unclear to me where we stand as home inspectors and what the requirement is now for realtors.
The law passed and was signed by the Governor, Home inspectors in RI can no longer inspect electrical in any way other than visual defects observed. Realtors need to advise clients to hire an electrician for that part of the inspection.
I have no knowledge of the accuracy of this report but I don’t see a prohibition for HI’s to remove panel covers unless they left it out of the summary.
Official Summary/Bill Text
The bill amends the General Laws in Chapter 5-6, which pertains to electricians, by specifying additional types of work that require a licensed electrician. New insertions in the bill include the requirement for licensed electricians to handle support systems for electrical equipment and devices, lighting, control of electrical devices, and the handling and removal for installation or re-installation of all electrical equipment and devices within the jobsite. The bill also mandates that electricians must carry their license at all times while working and display their contractor’s license number on any advertisement, contract, bid, or applicable permit.
Furthermore, the bill outlines the types of contractor’s certificates/licenses that can be issued, such as Electrical contractor’s license, Burner contractor’s license, and several others, each with its own qualifications and scope of work. Notably, the bill allows registered contractors with a Certificate REP (Renewable Energy Professional certificate) to install solar sheathing systems of 10 kilowatts or less on residential structures, but the connection to the electrical grid and energization must be performed by a Rhode Island licensed electrician. The bill also removes the specific mention of photovoltaic modules to the mounting racks from the scope of work allowed without a licensed electrician. The Legislative Council’s explanation clarifies that certain electrical work must be performed by licensed contractors, and the act will take effect on January 30, 2025. Bill tracking in Rhode Island - HB 7015 (2024 legislative session) - FastDemocracy
