The General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1465 aims to empower the Commissioner of Consumer Protection to modify existing hiring ratios for apprentices, journeymen, and contractors in specific skilled trades, including electrical, plumbing, heating, piping and cooling, sprinkler fitting, and sheet metal work. The bill proposes to amend Section 20-332b of the general statutes, establishing new allowable hiring ratios for these trades, which range from 1 apprentice to 1 journeyman for small teams, scaling up to 10 apprentices for 24 journeymen in larger teams.

Additionally, the bill introduces provisions that allow licensed contractors to hire more apprentices than the established ratios if they can demonstrate "good cause" through an application process. The Commissioner must review these applications within ten business days, and if no response is provided within that timeframe, the application is automatically approved. This flexibility aims to address workforce shortages in skilled trades while maintaining regulatory oversight. The changes are set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Raised Bill: 20-332b