BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	H.B. 3214
89R21007 JCG-F	By: Richardson et al. (Paxton)
	Business & Commerce
	5/16/2025
	Engrossed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Texas is facing a growing shortage of skilled tradesmen, particularly in the plumbing industry, where current licensing requirements create unnecessary delays for qualified professionals. Under existing law, it takes about eight years for a plumber to become fully licensed as a master plumber, largely due to mandated waiting periods at each licensing tier. One of the most significant bottlenecks is the requirement that journeyman plumbers wait four years before they can apply for a master plumber license, regardless of skill or experience.

H.B. 3214 addresses this issue by reducing the required time a plumber must hold a journeyman license from four years to two before becoming eligible to apply for a master license. A master plumber may supervise a plumber's apprentice on all job sites or a tradesman plumber-limited on job sites for structures other than one and two-family dwellings. By streamlining the path to licensure as a master plumber, H.B. 3214 ensures that capable plumbers can more quickly meet the growing demand across the state.

H.B. 3214 amends current law relating to eligibility for a master plumber license.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners in SECTION 2 of this bill.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 1301.002(5), Occupations Code, to provide that "master plumber" means a person licensed under Chapter 1301 (Plumbers) who meets certain criteria, including having worked as a journeyman plumber for certain periods of time, including for at least two, rather than four, years.

SECTION 2. Requires the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners, as soon practicable after the effective date of this Act, to adopt rules as necessary to implement the changes in law made by this Act to Chapter 1301, Occupations Code.

SECTION 3. Makes application of Section 1301.002 (Definitions), Occupations Code, as amended by this Act, prospective.

SECTION 4. Effective date: September 1, 2025.