The bill adds a new section to chapter 19.28 RCW and directs the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (DLI) to adopt rules clarifying the scope of work that HVAC/refrigeration specialty electricians may perform on mini‑split HVAC systems. Under those rules, the specialty‑certified electricians must be allowed to install, repair, replace, and maintain electrical connections between outdoor compressor or condenser units and indoor evaporator or air‑handling units of mini‑split systems when the work follows the manufacturer’s installation instructions, the equipment is certified for use as a system by an electrical product testing laboratory accredited by DLI, and the electrical work is limited to circuits, wiring methods, and equipment integral to the operation of the mini‑split system. The bill authorizes DLI to set reasonable limitations by rule on voltage, amperage, building occupancy, construction type, and installation conditions consistent with public safety and existing electrical code requirements. It also states that nothing in the new section limits DLI’s authority to regulate electrical work, issue specialty certifications, or enforce the national electrical code and state electrical standards, while requiring that rules adopted under the section may not prohibit HVAC/refrigeration specialty electricians from performing the authorized work. Affected parties identified in the text include DLI, HVAC/refrigeration specialty electricians, and electrical product testing laboratories accredited by DLI. The bill was read for the first time on 01/14/26 and referred to the Committee on Labor & Commerce. The extracted text does not include a deadline for rulemaking, specific technical thresholds or definitions (for example, for “mini‑split,” “integral to the operation,” or accreditation criteria), nor does it state how conflicts with local codes or the existing text of chapter 19.28 RCW would be resolved.

If enacted, the Department of Labor and Industries must write rules that will allow HVAC/refrigeration specialty certified electricians to do the electrical hookups between the outdoor compressor/condenser and the indoor air-handling/evaporator units of mini-split systems when the work follows the manufacturer's instructions, the equipment is certified as a system by a DLI‑accredited testing lab, and the wiring is limited to parts integral to the mini-split. Practically, that means more of the electrical work on many mini-split installs could be done by HVAC specialty electricians instead of requiring a different specialty, although DLI can set limits on voltage, amperage, building types, and similar safety conditions. The agencies and businesses most affected are DLI, which must adopt and enforce the new rules (with unspecified resource or timing needs), HVAC/refrigeration specialty electricians, who would gain more permitted work and likely different hiring and training demand, and manufacturers and testing labs, whose system certification by a DLI‑accredited lab becomes a condition for that work. Key implementation details are unclear from the text: there is no deadline for rulemaking, no technical thresholds or formal definitions (for "mini-split," "integral," or lab accreditation), and it’s not specified how these rules interact with local regulations.