This year, the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners was up for this sunset review and faced several hurdles early, not the least of which was pressure to move the regulation of the industry under the umbrella of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. This was part of an ongoing movement to consolidate the state’s licensing in one department.
While streamlined government is generally embraced, in this instance such a move would take regulation of our industry out of the hands of the tradespeople who understand its intricacies and practices. While the attempt to make this change was successfully battled back, “safety net” legislation that would have extended the plumbing board — which is routine to the process — surprisingly did not pass before the end of the session. Technically, that meant the board would cease to exist in September. Action was taken, however, to prevent that from happening.
