Lawmakers move to close electrical apprenticeship loophole requiring both classroom and on‑the‑job training

Representative Ed Buttry presented House Bill 497 to the Senate committee, describing it as a narrow “loophole” fix to ensure journeyman electricians complete both the required 8,000 hours of experience and the related classroom/lab instruction in a registered apprenticeship program before sitting for the journeyman exam.

Margaret Morgan (Montana Independent Electrical Contractors) told the committee the statutory language previously allowed applicants to provide evidence of "at least one of the following" — completion of an approved apprenticeship program OR 8,000 hours of experience — which created a pathway for an apprentice to forego the classroom/lab portion and still qualify for licensure. The bill clarifies that practical experience obtained during an apprenticeship that was not completed does not count toward the 8,000‑hour requirement.

Jay Reardon (Montana State Building and Construction Trades Council) and Sarah Swanson (Commissioner, Department of Labor and Industry) said the change safeguards public safety and preserves the integrity of registered apprenticeship programs; the department and the electricians’ licensing board support the bill. Committee members asked technical questions about program hours and instruction schedules; witnesses said programs commonly run four years with roughly 188 hours a year of related instruction for some programs.

Next steps: The bill received broad support in committee testimony and advanced without recorded opposition at the hearing.