By Mike Means
OSHBA Executive Vice President
Think of the beginning of a construction project - residential or commercial
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Land - Surveyor, Engineer - licensed
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Architect - licensed
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Plumbing, Electrical, Mechanical subcontractors - licensed
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Roofers - registered
Now skip over to the end of the construction project
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Realtors - licensed
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Appraisers - licensed
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Inspectors - licensed
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Bankers - licensed
Mike Means
But the person that holds the purse strings and is THE point of contact with the consumer? Nothing but a Black Hole.
A strong majority of Oklahomans support some kind of registration or licensing of builders, according to findings of a "Sooner Poll" study earlier this year.
Our bill would provide minimum regulation of the building industry. There are several items in the proposed legislation that are already required. It just takes the extra step of providing a central place to register and for public examination by the Construction Industries Board. It provides for a regulation by peers by establishing an advisory committee within the CIB.
Here's what's required:
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Minimum workers compensation insurance policy - minimum premium policy even if no employees
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General Liability insurance policy - One million ($1,000,000.00) aggregate
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Continuing education in a manner similar to the other groups under CIB jurisdiction.
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Minimum of two years industry experience to obtain registration, not necessarily as a builder.
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Written warranty for residential projects
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Written contracts over certain dollar amount.
Almost 80 percent of the membership of the Oklahoma State Home Builders Association supports the registration of builders. There are a percentage of those that don't support registration because they prefer licensing.
The bill does amend the makeup of the CIB Board to give contractors a seat at the table.
For questions, contact me at mikem@oshba.org. And thank you for your support.
