Texas lawmakers are eliminating the requirement for plumbers to get a license or adhere to previous regulations.
According to the Texas Tribune, they did it by nixing the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. An agency, whichhad 28 employees as of March, and generated $5.2 million in revenue in 2017.
“The mission of the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE) is to protect Texas citizens against the health and safety hazards that can result from improperly installed plumbing, gas, and medical gas systems.” The TSBPE website says, “To achieve this goal, the TSBPE administers and enforces Chapter 1301 of the Texas Occupations Code (Plumbing License Law)”
The absence of these licensing procedures and regulations have untold consequences for the plumbing industry in Texas. Without the TSBPE anyone will be able to call themselves a plumber, which raises safety concerns for Texas residents.
“We’re going to put the safety of the homeowners and the public of Texas in jeopardy,” master plumber and owner of Texas Green Plumbing in Richardson, Roger Wakefield told the Texas Tribune. “Plumbers install medical gas, they install the potable drinking water that we have every day. If they’re not doing it right, people’s safety is at risk.”
According to Wakefield, he and other plumbers are reaching out to Texas Governor Greg Abbot with their concerns. But according to a tweet from the Governor from Monday, he does not plan on holding a special session to fix the laws. Texas legislators are not scheduled to reconvene until next year.
Thanks Senators for your work with the House to pass legacy legislation that will improve the lives of every generation.
See you in 2 years.
NO SPECIAL SESSION. #txlege https://t.co/sXuPLPsPNN
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 27, 2019
September 1st is the official final date of the agency’s existence.
According to the Texas Tribune, efforts to extend the agency until the next legislative session were shot down, as well as efforts to reassign the roles to another agency.
Wakefield told the Texas Tribune that without the Texas plumbing codes and the agency, regulation will likely fall onto cities and municipalities.
An online petition regarding the changes currently has over1,500 signatures.
