Texas is about to become the Wild West of plumbing

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Aspiring professional plumbers in Texas may soon no longer need to pass exams before entering the trade, or adhere to regulations, after lawmakers failed to extend the life of the state agency which oversees workers, and the state plumbing code is due to expire on September 1.

Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners, the agency that regulates and licenses plumbers, was due for a so-called sunset process; a legislative review in which lawmakers decide on whether to continue running such state entities.

During the review, lawmakers twice failed to agree on a bill which would have allowed the agency to continue running, as reported by The Texas Tribune. The Senate Bill 621 sought to reassign the roles and responsibilities of the agency to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, a larger agency that also oversees dozens of professions.

The recommendation came after a review from the Sunset Advisory Commission which claimed it could take up to eight months for a person to become a licensed plumber. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation estimates that the waiting time could be reduced to around eight weeks under its guidance.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/texas-is-about-to-become-the-wild-west-of-plumbing/ar-AAC5QBZ?li=BBnbfcL

Good old deregulation. Coming soon, do it yourself surgery.

[jberryhill]

1. What could possibly go wrong?

It’s not as if plumbing has anything to do with sanitation and disease control.

[TomSlick]

2. I don't know about Texas but...

in Arkansas, master plumbers also deal with gas lines inside the house. No risk in some untrained guy installing gas lines - right?

[Ilsa]

5. Yes, plumbers in Texas deal with gas lines,

Gas water heaters, any gas outlets.

Maybe after they start blowing up neighborhoods, texas will re-think this idea about quickie vocational training.

I had a master plumber in my home today fixing a couple of things. Wouldn't do it any other way.

[GReedDiamond]

3. Fucking RepubliCons are insane!...nt

[GulfCoast66]

4. The Irony! Texans soon to be covered in their own shit.

I have worked in a field somewhat related to plumbing. You cannot be a competent plumber in 8 weeks or even 8 months.

I once saw a plumbing line to a lift station that went down to almost 20 feet and ran for hundreds of yards have to be dug up and relayed. Why? The plumbing team did not get the correct ‘fall’ on the line. Fortunately the company I worked for insisted the line be tested. Had it not been, as it would not be on many small jobs, shit would have been coming up the toilets.

A 20 foot deep line in Florida sand requires a HUGE trench. Wider than deep. This was a big contractor and could afford to fix it. A ‘fly by night’ guy would do just that.

[dalton99a]

6. In 2017, the legislature failed to renew several state agencies including the Texas Medical Board

In 2017, the legislature failed to renew several state agencies including the Texas Medical Board; making sure Texas doctors are licensed and have the authority to write prescriptions.

The governor called a 30-day special session to force lawmakers to pass a bill to prevent the board from shutting down, the governor added 19 other priorities for lawmakers to tackle.

[ProudLib72]

7. Nothing a little duck tape and ingenuity can't rectify

I'm sure that the Department of Licensing and Regulation is thinking along similar lines.

[jmowreader]

8. Because everyone knows PVC is the best pipe for natural gas, right?