Jeff Barnes was well organized. He had about 20-30 pages of rules hes written regarding home inspection; including some on inspection training, educator requirements, standards, test requirements, etc.
I’m doing this from memory off just brief notes I took, so please understand that this may not be 110% accurate - but its as close as I remember.
The 5 member Board, Tom Lauhon from Leavenworth, Kansas and myself were present. One other inspector from Wichita came for about 1 hour then left.
There were a bunch of rules on home inspection trainers that were intended as Jeff phrased it - to prevent a bunch of “Billy Bobs” from opening Training Schools in their basements or garages and having a Training School open up on every corner.
For instance some of the rules Jeff had written said the Trainer Providing entry level instruction should be a state licensed Post Secondary Training School or Facility - trainers must lease or own their own facility (not lets say rent and hold classes for a week in a meeting room or hotel ballroom, etc). The trainers must carry $1,000,000 insurance naming the state as a 2nd insured (in case somebody falls and gets hurt while in school); the trainers facility must meet state or federal ADA requirements for their training site, etc. The Trainer had to hold a **MINIMUM **number of inspections each year. The application fee to apply for approval of a Pre-Licensing Training Class would be about $800.
In reading the rules I’m confident it will keep out the “Billy Bobs”, but as written, in my opinion it could also keep out a local Chapter of a National Association, etc that wanted to hold a once-a-year entry level to the profession training seminar to raise money for their group. In fact as I saw it - as its currently written, the people it would let in ASAP would be the “Corporate Bobs” (the big franchise groups or someone holding classes in conjunction with Vo-Techs or community colleges). Jeff assigned a committee to review this further. Tom Lauhon from Leavenworth, Kansas and myself were placed on the committee.
The meeting ran all day from about 9:30 till close to 5:00. They ordered sandwiches from a deli nearby at lunch and worked right through.
The new Kansas Board of Home Inspectors chose Officers from among themselves. Jeff Barnes is Chairman; the Realtor from Kansas City is Secretary; the Attorney from Wichita is Vice-Chair.
Jeff had apparently talked to all the national inspector organizations, etc and they all had tests they used or recommended, but at this point it looks like only 1 group (he didn’t mention who) has a test that he feels meets the criteria that he and somebody else determined is needed to establish home inspector competency. He’s gonna take a look at this testing issue again to make sure he hasn’t overlooked someone, and that nobody else has a test that meets the Standards as he’s written them at this time.
HB-2315 was orginally set up so that the inspectors could use their own Associations set of Standards. Jeff mentioned that if someone bought a house on Monday and the inspector used say the ASHI Standards, THEN on Thursday they sold their other house and the inspector used say the NAHI or NACHI Standards, it could be confusing for the consumer. Jeff is gonna have a committee look at the possibility of adopting the Standards of 1 Association, or perhaps having a Kansas set Standards.
Jeff mentioned hes got an insurance company lined up that can sell us the surety bonds. He didn’t say who, where, etc.
He’s asked the AG’s office for a written ruling on whether the Bill and all its requirements can be enforced IMMEDIATELY as the realtors lobbyist Luke Bell is telling everyone. That guy is gonna get someone sued if he keeps running off at the mouth like he’s doing.
Jeff has found a lady that may be willing to help the Kansas Home Inspector Board out by being a part-time administrator for us. I don’t remember him telling us much about her, except that he said she’s very familiar with the home inspection profession and lives near Leavenworth, Kansas.
Due to the amount of work involved in reviewing the rules Jeff Barnes had written, the Board got maybe half-way through them at this meeting.
Thats kinda the highlights that I remember for right now.