SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2246        FILED ON: 1/17/2025

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Nick Collins

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to refrigeration and pipefitting licensure.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2246        FILED ON: 1/17/2025

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

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An Act relative to refrigeration and pipefitting licensure.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Section 81 of Chapter 146 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2018 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the definition of  ''Fire protection sprinkler system contractor'' the following definitions:

“Geothermal heat pump”, also referred to as “earth-coupled heat pump” or “ground-source heat pump”, a heating and cooling system that utilizes ground temperatures to heat and cool buildings.

“Hydrogen system”, a heating or cooling system and the components thereof consisting of one or more of the following: hydrogen production, hydrogen transportation/storage, hydrogen utilization.

Said Section 81 is further amended after the definition of ''Master refrigeration technician'' the following definition:

Microreactor”, a factory-fabricated, transportable, and self-adjusting device in which nuclear fission initiates a controlled chain reaction, producing heat energy.

Said Section 81 is further amended by inserting after the word “processes” in the definition of ''Pipefitting'', the following words:- “ geothermal heat pumps, hydrogen systems, microreactors, small modular reactors”.

Said Section 81 is further amended by inserting after the definition of “Registered”, the following definitions:-

“Residential/Light Commercial Refrigeration”, the installation, repair, replacement, maintenance of any refrigerant containing part of any refrigerant system of less than ten ton capacity.

“Small modular reactor”, an advanced nuclear reactor that has a power capacity of up to 300 MW(e) per unit.

SECTION 2. Said Chapter 146 is hereby further amended by inserting after section 82, the following new section:-

Section 82A.   The bureau shall adopt regulations for the examining and licensing of refrigeration technicians working on residential or light commercial refrigeration systems of less than ten tons. Licensing fees collected shall be placed in a retained revenue account to hire qualified inspectors to enforce the provisions of this section.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon its passage.