Your state is one of them.
It also happened in Kansas, Missouri, Florida, New York and now Michigan.
The most successful ruse of this sort came to fruition through PHIC (Pennsylvania Home Inspector Coalition) made up exclusively of ASHI and NAHI members. With their success in totally taking control of the industry in Pennsylvania, ASHI chapters took that model to every other unlicensed state.
The chapters force members to join and, although the coalitions usually have fewer than 20 participating members, their books reflect a hundred or more. Their main job is to (1) convince the legislature that they actually represent the majority of inspectors in that state, (2) get the NHIE written into law, and (3) mandate educational courses that are preformed to fit the ITA model. The leaders of these “coalitions” then are hired as teachers in the new schools that pop up as a result of the new law.
Some NACHI members belong to some of these coalitions and, at first, are made to feel like they “have a voice” but soon they realize that the agenda was fixed long before they came along. Jay Schwartz can elaborate on his Florida experience for you, if you email him.
It is a very well developed scam.
These coalitions can be easily discredited with proper use of the media and the legislature…but it takes work.
In Missouri, they teamed up with the Missouri Association of Realtors which made it tougher…since MAR already had the lobbyists in place. They are promising a “comeback” next year.
Of course…just like Michigan…the Missouri “coalition” states that they are simply “monitoring”…but they are already meeting to help form next year’s bill.
ASHI members in St. Louis are lied to by their president who is actually the president of this “coalition”. They oppose legislation and expect him to, as well, but he has been able to conceal his activities from them by refusing to discuss the coalition’s activities at ASHI meetings stating “there are spies in attendance”.
It’s the last effort of a dying association to be relevant, it appears.