Law360: Proposed Texas Bill Would Require Reroofing Contractor Registration
February 21, 2019Steven Badger, a partner in the Dallas office of Zelle, was quoted in an Insurance Law360 article titled “Texas Floats Bill Requiring Re-Roofers To Register With State.”
The article discusses legislation introduced this week in Texas that would require re-roofing contractors to register with a state and subject contractors to criminal and administrative penalties and sanctions for violating the proposed law.
As discussed in the article, HB2101, introduced by Republican Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, would require reroofing contractors who repair or replace existing roofs to hold a two-year registration with Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in order to perform, contract for and advertise reroofing work. A violation of the proposed provisions, Chapter 1306, would qualify as a Class C misdemeanor, according to the bill.
Badger, who was involved in the original drafting and advocating on behalf of the bill, told Law360 that the bill is focused on consumer protection. “The goal is to create some registration requirement so not anyone can just show up after a storm and call themselves a roofer,” Badger said. “The goal is to ensure that you’re a legitimate roofing contractor that’s taken time to register with the state and to give consumers a place they can go to confirm that the roofer is legitimate.”
A second companion bill has also been introduced which amends the Texas waiving of deductibles statute. The intent of this bill is to clarify that it is absolutely improper to waive, absorb, rebate, or in any manner avoid monetary payment of an insurance deductible. This bill also focuses on consumer protection, preventing contractors from waiving deductibles and in turn performing shoddy workmanship to absorb the cost of the deductible.
Click here to read the article (subscription required).
