Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed House Bill 953 into law on June 12, reforming the state’s plumbing licensing regulations. The bill dissolves the State Plumbing Board of Louisiana and moves all plumbing regulation under the authority of the State Contractors Board of Louisiana.
Trey Giglio, Vice President of Universal Mechanical and President of the Louisiana Chapter of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association, criticized the bill, saying it’s a move by contractors to control plumbers and drive down costs.
The bill reduces the required training hours for apprentice plumbers from 8,000 to 2,500 and redefines what constitutes a training hour and an apprenticeship. The Contractors Board will now control the examination process and what the exam looks like.
Giglio noted that the Contractors Board has never issued individual licenses in Louisiana, only company licenses. He warned that the changes could lead to unqualified people handling natural gas and water, posing a risk to public health.
The PHCC – National Association called the bill “the most damaging rollback of plumbing licensure standards seen anywhere in the country in recent memory.” Dan Quinonez, the incoming CEO of PHCC-National, expressed concerns about the impact on consumers, saying it’s a short-sighted effort to save some money that will ultimately lead to increased maintenance costs and expensive repairs.
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Quinonez noted that data center developers, with their exacting specifications and zero-downtime demands, might also have concerns about the dependability of a state’s plumbing licensure. The PHCC National organization plans to lobby and advocate in state capitols to educate legislators on the importance of licensure.
Some states, like Georgia, have taken proactive efforts to prevent similar moves. Quinonez hopes to prevent other states from following Louisiana’s lead.
The bill creates a Plumbing Sub-committee with eleven members, including plumbers, contractors, and at-large members.
They will likely face challenges.
The bill’s provisions will likely have far-reaching consequences for the plumbing industry, and other states will be watching closely to see how the situation unfolds. For now, the focus is on the potential risks and challenges posed by the reforms, and how they will impact the people of Louisiana.
