Present law requires the board of certification for water and wastewater operators to prepare, conduct, and grade examinations. This bill specifies the following with regard to such examinations: (1) Examinations prepared and administered by the board must demonstrate that an operator has the necessary skills, knowledge, ability, and judgment for the specified operator classification of the certification program, consist of the same questions for all applicants, and include a minimum of 10% of the total questions for each classification on state regulatory questions germane to the specific operator classification; (2) To receive a certificate, applicants must correctly answer 70% or more of the total questions on an examination or the state regulatory questions and otherwise meet the requirements of the Water and Wastewater Operator Certification Act; (3) The board is prohibited from collecting data pertaining to, or otherwise using, an applicant's age, race, sex, or cultural background; (4) The board is prohibited from delegating to a third-party its authority to determine minimum operator competency or to prepare, conduct, or grade examinations; and (5) The board is authorized to use staff under its direct supervision to prepare, conduct, and grade examinations.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 68-221-906(7), 68-221-906