Welcome back Dallas-Fort Worth.
I am Anthony Sumilia with Ask The Experts Radio Show, where we interview our local professionals
and experts.
Once again we have Roger Wakefield, from Texas Green Plumbing.
And it looks like I have a phone call, Roger.
So you go ahead and take over and I will get this phone call real quick.
All right Anthony, and thank you, sir.
Those of y'all that need to get in touch with Texas Green Plumbing we are at www.texasgreenplumbing.com.
You can call us at 972-442-4101.
And as we talked about while ago, I've got Dianne Villareal of A-Aces.
And A-Aces is a great continuing education provided for plumbing, in the state of Texas.
But not just continuing education, journeyman training, different kinds of things and they're
really good.
And I've been to classes over there and I love it and that's why I really wanted to
reach out to her and get her on.
Dianne, let's jump into what we're talking about, let me ask you a quick question.
Is this all about money?
Yes, sir.
So I read that the Texas State Board of plumbing examiners brings in about 5.2 million dollars
a year.
That is correct.
Plumbing dollars.
And that's just for licensing...
Licensing, fees, various different monetary things that we have to pay for.
Renewals, licenses, endorsements, exams.
Okay so we bring in almost 5.2 million dollars, but we only spend about 2.5.
We are only appropriated 2.5, 2.6 million dollars of our plumbing dollars to operate
our board.
So how can anybody say wait you're bringing in, I mean if I can bring in twice as much
money as it cost me to do business, life’s great, but it doesn't happen that way.
But, as the Texas State Board of plumbing examiners if we bring in 5.2, we only spend
2.6, fifty percent of it and they say you're not doing your job good enough.
Don't we need more money, to hire more people, to have more enforcement, to do a better job?
They say that after they have marked 2.5 approximately as extra, and they take it from our agency,
and then slap their hand for not doing their job.
Okay, we got a call real quick.
Anthony, who we got?
His name Stephen.
Go ahead Stephen.
How are we doing?
I'm doing wonderful.
How are you sir?
Well I've been better.
You know with the news that we're getting, I'm actually I'm a fourth generation master
plumber and as a matter of fact, Diane, I believe she replaced my uncle as the chief
in Dallas and this really has me a little concerned over the changes that I've read
about.
I mean my my plumbing lineage predates the State Board.
Right.
You know my family's been in plumbing since, good lord, the mid thirties.
But I just, I think that this is going to provide a detrimental blow to our trade.
I've tried to read the sunset report as much as I could but you know from what I'm taking
from it they're boarding to do away with some of the endorsements.
I don't understand how they say that this is, you know, the changes that they're going
to make are going to help the workforce.
I have two drain cleaners that work for me and if you take their endorsements away, well
guess what?
Now I just lost their time in a truck.
I can’t, you know I can't send them out there to take care of calls.
Stephen, I think we both agree with you here.
Let Dianne and I talk about this.
But, Dianne is right.
They want to get rid of endorsements.
Which I don't necessarily have a problem getting rid of some endorsements.
I do think that we need to find a way to speed up the process.
I think we both know that we could teach a drain cleaner to clean
drains in less time than two to four years.
What what do you think?
These are registrations.
Excuse me, Stephen I didn't mean to speak over you.
No, Im sorry.
These are registrations, and I'll also go on to say
that prior to this report, staffs report our agency was already working on streamlining
a few of these items.
The drain cleaner, drain cleaner restricted, residential utility installer being in those
items.
Now, but also let me tell you that these are things that were put down in legislation.
Our board takes direction.
Our agency takes direction from law which is put in by legislators.
Rules are put in effect by our board to accommodate the requirements of the rules.
So it's not as if our agency can just decide to do something, they have to follow the laws
and the rules.
And I agree with you there and therefore and I think that we all need to be talking to
our representatives.
Dianne, they hold board meetings every quarter.
How often do you go?
Every board meeting.
Exactly, and I knew that.
You know.
I have missed a few but not too many.
The thing is, are there problems?
Does the Texas State Board of plumbing Examiners have some problems?
I would like to say we have some concerns.
Okay.
Um, problems, if you want to call them problems, we know we do.
They have reached out to industry.
The best way that you can help us is to be at those board meetings.
Participate.
This is our profession.
We have a board.
Our nine-member board.
Less the three that the governor has failed to fill in the last year.
Come on Abbott.
This kind of preempts this report.
Does it not?
But our board, our members on our governing board, we have the best board that we have
had in years since we lost the leadership of John Hatchel.
Julio Cerda is open.
He asked.
I applaud him for his efforts in trying to get us back on the right road.
To get us to where we need to be.
He is interested in our thoughts and our concerns.
Our agency is interested in our thoughts and concerns.
Their number-one goal is to get this as streamlined as we can without losing the quality that
we have.
Talking about quality.
Do plumbers protect the health of the nation?
I've heard that, God my entire life.
Absolutely.
And I believe you.
And I've not only believed it, I've had this argument with people.
But let me ask you this.
The TDLR licenses electricians and HVAC technicians and I know that because I do have my HVAC
technician certification.
I'm a registered technician, certified technician.
I believe the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners kind of does the same thing.
They licensed plumbers.
But to get my license to HVAC certification I had to sit in the classroom 12 days.
That was it 12 day.
I'm impressed.
Absolutely.
To get my plumbing license I had to work in the field for three years, go to Austin take
a test.
I'm one of about 13…
14…
18 plumbers, and Lisa Hill, I’d love this information.
How many plumbers have every endorsement or how many master plumbers?
I'm one of, yeah me, you, I know three or four of us that have every endorsement.
And people say, “Roger the problem with Austin is you've got to go down and take the
test.”
And you know what?
I take pride in that.
It's look I've got to the point where I can pass this test and I want to go down here
and show you how well I am at it.
People are saying that well they make it too hard to get a license.
But you know what?
If we're detecting people's health, should it be easy enough that anybody can go set
in the class 12 days and get a license?
Absolutely not.
There is nothing more exhilarating than to walk out that board’s front door and know
I measured up today.
I have what it takes.
It's like well I got chills right now.
I mean it is.
It's like walking, it's like walking on a cloud.
It's like oh my God look what I've done.
I don't mean to interrupt y'all but just coming from I guess a consumer standpoint.
I guess the Commission, what they're doing, is it making it obviously easier for plumbers
to become plumbers and not have them be as licensed as much as say you are and allowing
them to go into business without as much training and foresight?
Is that what this is?
You've pretty well hit the nail on the head there.
We have in the report it talks about removing the responsible master plumber and having
a plumbing contractors license.
It sounds like something you can go down to the city and just pay a $30 fee and get your
name on it.
It pretty much in the commission's report does not require you to be a licensee.
Well that doesn't seem well.
No.
It is the beginning of the demise, the demise of the plumbing industry and the reinforcement
of the handyman's profession.
But I won't say profession, trade.
Trade.
The the handyman’s job.
Yes.
And that's what I see when I look through this is the part that scares me and it's funny
because I had a conversation with one of the plumbers down at the Texas State Technical
College yesterday and he literally said, he made it very clear.
He says look don't get me wrong electricians can can cause a fire and you know burn down
a house but a plumber can create a cross connection and kill a community and it really is true.
So you know, and I think you're right you know.
You're very good at what you do but you're smart and you understand.
You're right they're trying to make it we're basically, and don't get me wrong we're short-handed
on plumbers and I think there's some things that we can do.
But just handing out licenses for a fee?
I don't think it's the right way to go about it.
Yeah and not at all.
I mean you can, I mean obviously you know being a master plumber is not something that
is done overnight and I believe if you say you're a master plumber that holds a lot of
clout and you've worked a long time and you've worked hard for that and I mean for them to
allow people just to come in and pay a fee and possibly take a 12 day course, I mean
that sounds like um that does sound like the beginning of an end.
And very rapidly.
And not to you know cut y'all short but let's go ahead and you know take a break if you
don't mind.
Here once again this is Ask the Experts radio show.
We're gonna you know let the suits make their money and I am Anthony Sumilia sitting with
Roger Wakefield of Texas green Plumbing.
He is with Diana.
I'm sorry.
Dianne Villareal with A-Aces.
If you want to get hold to Roger you can call them at 972-442-4101 or if you want to be
in hold of Dianne it's 214-221-3331.
Or if you'd like to join the show and maybe ask Roger and Diane a question
you can call us at 214-787-1190 or thats 817-787-1190.