HB-5889, As Passed Senate, July 6, 2004                                     

SUBSTITUTE FOR

HOUSE BILL NO. 5889

                                                                             A bill to amend 2002 PA 733, entitled                                             

"State plumbing act,"                                                       

by amending section 31 (MCL 338.3541).                                      

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            

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

1   issue licenses for up to 3 years in duration.                               

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

3   registration, or renewal of a license and registration issued               

4   under this act are as follows:                                              

5     (a) Journey plumber..................................   $20.00.           

6     (b) Apprentice plumber...............................   $ 5.00.           

7       (3) All licenses and apprentice registrations not renewed                   

8   within 60 days of expiration may be reinstated only upon                    

9   application to the board for reinstatement and the payment of the           

10  annual renewal fee and the following reinstatement fee:                     

11    (a) Journey plumber..................................   $25.00.           

12    (b) Apprentice plumber...............................   $10.00.           

13      (4) A person requesting renewal of a license within 3 years                 

14  after the license is expired under subsection (3)  shall is not            

15  be  subject to reexamination for the license but is required to            

16  pay the reinstatement fee and the annual renewal fee for each               

17  year not renewed.  A person who fails to renew a license for more           

18  than 3 consecutive years is required to meet the experience and             

19  other requirements and take an examination for the class of                 

20  license  sought requested.                                                 

21      (5) Examination fees are as follows:                                        

22    (a) Plumbing contractor..............................   $50.00.           

23    (b) Master plumber...................................   $50.00.           

24    (c) Journey plumber..................................   $50.00.           

25      (6) The department shall issue an initial master plumber and                

26  plumbing contractor license for a period of up to 3 years.  The             

27  master plumber and plumbing contractor licenses are renewable for           

1   periods of 3 years.   In the case of For a person applying for             

2   initial or reinstatement license at a time other than between               

3   April 30 and June 30 of the year in which the department issues             

4   renewal licenses, the department shall compute and charge the               

5   license fee on a yearly prorated basis beginning the year of                

6   application until the last year of the 3-year license period.               

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

8   plumbing contractor license issued under this act are as                    

9   follows:                                                                    

10    (a) Plumbing contractor..............................  $200.00.           

11    (b) Master plumber...................................  $200.00.           

12      (8) All plumbing contractor and master plumber licenses not                 

13  renewed within 60 days of expiration may be reinstated only upon            

14  application submitted to the board and payment of the renewal fee           

15  and an $85.00 reinstatement fee.                                            

16  (9) Beginning on the effective date of the amendatory act                   

17  that added this subsection, the department shall issue an initial           

18  or renewal license for a master plumber or a plumbing contractor            

19  not later than 90 days after the applicant files a completed                

20  application.  Receipt of the application is considered the date             

21  the application is received by any agency or department of the              

22  state of Michigan.  If the application is considered incomplete             

23  by the department, the department shall notify the applicant in             

24  writing, or make the information electronically available, within           

25  30 days after receipt of the incomplete application, describing             

26  the deficiency and requesting the additional information.  The              

27  90-day period is tolled upon notification by the department of a            

1   deficiency until the date the requested information is received             

2   by the department.  The determination of the completeness of an             

3   application does not operate as an approval of the application              

4   for the license and does not confer eligibility of an applicant             

5   determined otherwise ineligible for issuance of a license.                  

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

7   within the time required by this section, the department shall              

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

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

10  failure to issue a license within the time required under this              

11  section does not allow the department to otherwise delay the                

12  processing of the application, and that application, upon                   

13  completion, shall be placed in sequence with other completed                

14  applications received at that same time.  The department shall              

15  not discriminate against an applicant in the processing of the              

16  application based upon the fact that the license fee was refunded           

17  or discounted under this subsection.                                        

18      (11) Beginning October 1, 2005, the director of the                         

19  department shall submit a report by December 1 of each year to              

20  the standing committees and appropriations subcommittees of the             

21  senate and house of representatives concerned with occupational             

22  issues.  The director shall include all of the following                    

23  information in the report concerning the preceding fiscal year:             

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

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

26  described in subsection (9).                                                

27      (b) The number of applications denied.                                      

1       (c) The number of applicants not issued a license within the                

2   90-day time period and the amount of money returned to licensees            

3   under subsection (10).                                                      

4   (12) As used in this section, "completed application" means                 

5   an application complete on its face and submitted with any                  

6   applicable licensing fees as well as any other information,                 

7   records, approval, security, or similar item required by law or             

8   rule from a local unit of government, a federal agency, or a                

9   private entity but not from another department or agency of the             

10  state of Michigan.