254.20 Asbestos abatement certification.

(2) Certification requirements.

(a) No person serving on the governing body of a school, employed by a school or acting under a contract with a school may perform any asbestos abatement activity or asbestos management activity unless he or she has a valid certification card issued to him or her under sub. (3).

(b) No public employee may perform any asbestos abatement activity unless he or she has a valid certification card issued to him or her under sub. (3).

(c) No public employee may supervise the performance of any asbestos abatement activity unless he or she has a valid supervisor's certification card issued to him or her under sub. (3).

(d) Except as provided in s. 250.041 and subject to s. 254.115, the department may establish by rule certification requirements for any person not certified under pars. (a) to (c) who performs any asbestos abatement activity or asbestos management activity or who supervises the performance of any asbestos abatement activity or asbestos management activity.

(3) Certification procedure.

(a) Except as provided in s. 250.041 and subject to sub. (4m), the department may establish by rule eligibility requirements for persons applying for a certification card required under sub. (2). Any training required by the department under this paragraph may be approved by the department or provided by the department under sub. (8).

(b) Except as provided in s. 250.041, the department shall establish the procedure for issuing certification cards under this subsection. In establishing that procedure, the department shall prescribe an application form and establish an examination procedure and may require applicants to provide photographic identification.

(4) Renewal. A certification card issued under sub. (3) is valid for one year. Except as provided in s. 250.041 and subject to s. 254.115, the department may establish requirements for renewing such a card, including but not limited to additional training.

(4m) Military service. Any relevant education, training, instruction, or other experience that an applicant has obtained in connection with military service, as defined in s. 111.32 (12g), counts toward satisfying the requirements for education, training, instruction, or other experience to obtain a certification card under this section if the applicant demonstrates to the satisfaction of the department that the education, training, instruction, or other experience that the applicant obtained in connection with his or her military service is substantially equivalent to the education, training, instruction, or other experience that is required to obtain a certification card under this section.

(5) Fees.

(a) Except as provided under pars. (b) and (c), the department shall charge the following fees for certification cards issued under sub. (3) or renewed under sub. (4):

1. For a certification card issued or renewed for the performance of any asbestos abatement activity, as required under sub. (2) (a), (b) or (d), $50.

2. For a certification card issued or renewed for performance of an inspection for asbestos-containing material or the design of an asbestos response action, as required under sub. (2) (a) or (d), $150.

3. For a certification card issued or renewed for supervising the performance of any asbestos abatement activity, as required under sub. (2) (c), $100.

4. For a certification card issued or renewed for performance of the development of an asbestos management plan, as required under sub. (2) (a) or (d), $100.

(b) The department may change by rule the fee amounts specified under par. (a). The fees received under this subsection shall be credited to the appropriation under s. 20.435 (1) (gm).

(c) The department may not charge a fee for a certification card issued under this section to an individual who is eligible for the veterans fee waiver program under s. 45.44.

(6) Suspension or revocation. The department may, under this section, suspend or revoke a certification card issued under sub. (3) if it determines that the holder of the card is not qualified to be certified.

(7) Appeals. Any suspension, revocation or nonrenewal of a certification card required under sub. (2) or any denial of an application for such a certification card is subject to judicial review under ch. 227, except as provided in s. 250.041 and except that the only hearing rights available for a denial, revocation, or nonrenewal of a certification card required under sub. (2) based on tax delinquency under s. 73.0301 or unemployment insurance contribution delinquency under s. 108.227 are those set forth in s. 73.0301 (5) or 108.227 (5), whichever is applicable.

(8) Training courses. The department may conduct or contract for any training course necessary to prepare persons for a certification card required under sub. (2). The department may establish a fee for any course offered under this subsection. The fee may not exceed the actual cost of the course. The fees received under this subsection shall be credited to the appropriation under s. 20.435 (1) (gm).

(9) Rules. The department may promulgate any rule it deems necessary to administer this section.

(10) Enforcement.

(a) The department may enter, at any reasonable time, any property, premises or place in which any person required to have a certification card under sub. (2) is engaged in any asbestos abatement activity to determine if the department has issued that person a valid certification card. No person may refuse entry or access to any representative of the department authorized by the department to act under this paragraph if that representative requests entry for purposes of determining compliance with this section, if that representative presents a valid identification issued to the representative by the department and if that representative is complying with par. (b). No person may obstruct, hamper or interfere with the actions of that representative under this paragraph.

(b) Any representative of the department acting under par. (a) shall comply with any health and safety procedure established by law for persons engaged in asbestos abatement activities.

(c) If the department determines that any person required to have a certification card under sub. (2) has violated this section, the department may order that person to cease the violation. The order may require all asbestos abatement activities on the premises where the violation occurs to cease until the violation is corrected if there is no person on the premises with a valid certification card issued to him or her under sub. (3). The department shall give the order in writing to that person or that person's representative.

(d) Any other state agency, in the course of the performance of its duties, may determine compliance with the certification requirements of this section. If that agency determines that there is a violation of this section, it shall notify the department of that violation.

(e) The department may initiate an action in the name of this state against any person to require compliance with this section.

(11) Penalty. Any person who violates this section or any rule promulgated or order issued under this section shall forfeit not less than $25 nor more than $100 for each violation. Each day of violation and each violation constitutes a separate offense.

History: 1987 a. 27; 1989 a. 173; 1993 a. 27 ss. 188, 193; 1997 a. 191, 237; 2011 a. 120, 209; 2013 a. 36.