01/12/2005

TDLR Issues 85,000th Electrical License

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation's (TDLR) Electrical
Safety Program, the state's electrician licensing program and the only
major occupational licensing program created in Texas in at least 15
years, this week issued its 85,000th license in only 10 months.

The program, which was created by the 78th Texas Legislature, posed a
number of challenges for TDLR, including developing a system to
efficiently license a very large number of individuals, and also
identifying and notifying electricians who would be affected. The
issuance of 85,000 licenses, however, surpassed even the highest
estimates of the number of electricians in Texas.

"I think it is clear that we have gotten this program off to a very
successful start," said William Kuntz, TDLR's executive director.
"We have licensed more electricians than anyone even knew we had in
this state. I think this demonstrates how well the electrical needs of
Texans are protected."

Prior to state licensing, electricians were licensed regionally or
locally. Electricians in rural areas often had no licenses at all.
Because the licensing system was so fragmented, there was no
comprehensive list to draw from to determine how many electricians
worked in Texas. TDLR and trade organizations estimated there were about
60,000. There also was no way to identify and individually contact all
electricians to let them know the state license was available to them.

"Anytime you have a new program one of the biggest concerns is
getting word out to anyone who could be affected by the program,"
Kuntz said. "I think the number of licenses we've issued
demonstrates the effectiveness of our efforts to notify members of the
trade."

TDLR worked closely with trade organizations to get word to their
memberships. It also conducted more than 30 public meetings in every
region of the state last year, meeting with and answering the questions
and concerns of about 3,500 electricians. In addition, the agency hired
additional customer service representatives to handle incoming calls,
issued more than 30 press releases to media across the state and even
provided all the electrical equipment supply houses in Texas with
posters and handouts announcing the program.

"Now that we've got this many electricians licensed, the next
challenge starts in March," Kuntz said. "That's when we have to
start renewing those licenses.

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