Texas fails to fund the Plumbing Regulatory Board. The article suggests that plumbers will no longer need a license to perform plumbing installs/repairs.
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Texas legislators once again did a half-assed job. They passed the legislation to sunset the Board of Plumbing Examiners, but not the piece that places the TDLR in the regulatory role.
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Heard about this on the news and could scarcely believe my ears. It looks like unless there is a special session this Summer that as of September 1st, licensing of plumbers in Texas will come to an end and there will be no state laws regulating the plumbing trade. Apparently the expectation is that cities and counties will pick up the slack, adding to the confusion already in place regarding who is using which code (if any) and shifting the cost to these smaller jurisdictions.
Now, because of a legislative “impasse”, the stage is set for the business to be flooded with untrained and unqualified tradesmen. It’s unfair to those who have worked to earn and hold licenses, unfair to those who would seek to earn a license and the credibility it affords, and outright dangerous to the general public.
How will this change our business? I would be interested to hear what others think.
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Some thoughts in bold, italic above (would be nice if the BB offered colors instead).
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Manny,
Pretty much what I was thinking, but had not considered how the liability angle plays into the game. I never planned to, nor do I think that an inspector should, scope sewer lines. I know first-hand that the only definitive test for sewer lines is a static pressure test, and feel that those doing only scoping are only doing half the job.
Have you heard anything on the REA side how this is shaping up for them? I would expect they too would be considering dropping current Plumbers from their referral lists?
I’ll be meeting with one this afternoon, so I’ll ask.
Putting myself in their shoes, I think I would continue to refer the ones I had referred previously so that my clients are being referred to top quality providers.
The smart plumbers are going to use their licensed status to position themselves as the established, trusted pros. One way or another, the consumer is going to have to be provided some way of knowing that the plumber they are hiring knows one end of a pipe wrench from the other, whether that be local AHJ’s, professional organizations, or some other authoritative source.
House flippers will love this. Some builders too.
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Let’s see what Gov Abbott can pull off.
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Well, there you have it. Gov Abbott extends the TSBPE by Executive Order for 2 years to give time for the next legislative session to permanently address the issue.
Abbott TSBPE.pdf (319.9 KB)
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Well … we’ll see about that. I’m actually sure they will address it, but then it is the Texas State Legislature and I don’t have a lot of faith nor trust in them.
Builders probably won’t even know about it or care ! House flippers might, most likely not !