The final draft for the 2015 Plumbers Board legislation has been completed. After a couple of some rewrites, the new draft more closely mirrors previous versions with a couple of positive exceptions.
| Plumbers Board executive director David Wilcox phones a board member as Jeff Becraft and Joy Whatley work to complete the 2015 draft. |
The 2015 draft removes the bond requirement that the board has had in place for years. This was an additional expense for the plumbers, yet the board has never exercised a bond in its history. In the normal course of dispute resolution, the board and the violator come together in a consent agreement that addresses any issues that the bond would have covered. This has eliminated the need for the bond and will help lower costs borne by plumbers.
The other major change closes a loophole that has allowed non-licensed "plumbers" to advertise and bid on projects. Once they win the bid, they then proceed to contract with out of state plumbers or others to complete the work. The new change will require that the licensee's legal entity be included in the licensing. This will level the playing field by removing this overly abused loophole.
The HBAA expects the bill to be introduced next week. Once introduced, the HBAA will work with the House Boards and Commissions committee to get a favorable report at the earliest opportunity.
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