Missouri's Legislative Shamefulness

[Gary Farnsworth]

I have mentioned several vices about licensing on several threads here on this message board. I have voiced my opinions and truths on the recent "Washington HI licensing information from DOL" thread. I hope the home inspection board members here in Kansas, especially Mr. Barnes, who I hope is listening, take one last comment in consideration from me and the Washington state guys:

Kansas has a poplulation of 2,800,000
Washington state has a population of 6,550,000.

Washington state recently accepted only 332 applications for licensing.

Do the math. Expect not even 100 inspectors to license and register here. They expected over 1,400 to register in Washington state. It was not even close. Many counties in Washington state will not have any home inspectors; expect the same in Kansas.

To the board members of Kansas, where in the hel*lll are you going to get the funds to run this board and enforce these so called "rules, regulations, and laws"? Kansas has no money to give you. Home inspectors are failing and going out of business due to the economy.

Get real. There is no money. You will not be paid. There are no funds to even by pencils. Give it up. Go back to your cities, and start performing inspections again. Serve the consumers of Kansas; not your attorneys, KAR and special interest groups. Disban the board before your attorneys start accepting lawsuits, like they do in Texas, and try to take money from the insurance requirements that you set for us. You are not doing us home inspectors here any favors; you only favor your own and special interests. Start representing us and the home buyers of Kansas. Stop listening to the attorneys and the KAR. Get real.

[Patrick Carter]

Originally Posted by gfarnsworth

I have mentioned several vices about licensing on several threads here on this message board. I have voiced my opinions and truths on the recent "Washington HI licensing information from DOL" thread. I hope the home inspection board members here in Kansas, especially Mr. Barnes, who I hope is listening, take one last comment in consideration from me and the Washington state guys:

Kansas has a poplulation of 2,800,000
Washington state has a population of 6,550,000.

Washington state recently accepted only 332 applications for licensing.

Do the math. Expect not even 100 inspectors to license and register here. They expected over 1,400 to register in Washington state. It was not even close. Many counties in Washington state will not have any home inspectors; expect the same in Kansas.

To the board members of Kansas, where in the hel*lll are you going to get the funds to run this board and enforce these so called "rules, regulations, and laws"? Kansas has no money to give you. Home inspectors are failing and going out of business due to the economy.

Get real. There is no money. You will not be paid. There are no funds to even by pencils. Give it up. Go back to your cities, and start performing inspections again. Serve the consumers of Kansas; not your attorneys, KAR and special interest groups. Disban the board before your attorneys start accepting lawsuits, like they do in Texas, and try to take money from the insurance requirements that you set for us. You are not doing us home inspectors here any favors; you only favor your own and special interests. Start representing us and the home buyers of Kansas. Stop listening to the attorneys and the KAR. Get real.

Exactly..................

[James H. Bushart]

Indeed, Patrick and Gary.....

That is the initial effect, and it harms the consumer that those pushing the bill pretended to care about. Fewer home inspectors, fewer choices for consumers, higher fees.

But look ahead at the horizon and see the young men wanting to hang up their paper hats with golden arches painted on them.....

The public will soon learn that the gold at the end of the rainbow for the unemployed and unhappy is only a course and a test away.....

Now the consumers are harmed in another way.....by the illusion that a licensed home inspector is qualified to inspect their house.

Soon the schools will form and then advertise.....and then they churn out the highest number of licensed home inspectors the state has ever seen. Every three months, hundreds more enter the field waving their licenses that equates them to you and your experience.

The only difference between them and you, in the eyes of the public, will be their $79 inspection fees. Of course, they will start out low but after a few weeks they will be able to charge the premium rate...or at least that is what they learned from the recruiter that signed them up for classes.....

[Dan Bowers, CMI]

You guys don't get it. These BILL's are not for us.

They're to protect the children; to help protect the consumer and ensure they get a high quality inspection by a trained professional; for National Security to ensure we don't have rapists, burglars, and dope dealers roaming around loose in peoples homes UNSUPERVISED; AND without these type of laws - as varied groups like out in Kansas the Realtors lobbyist (Luke Bell), the Trial Attorny's Lobbyist and ASHI / KAREI home inspectors like the Kansas Chairman of the Home Inspectors Board (a Mr Jeff Barnes) have said time and time again - - Without these type of laws, and without prohibiting home inspectors from using "Weasel Clauses" that limit their-liability, and making it MANDANTORY that the home inspectors carry some fiscal responsibility (like E&O insurance, etc) / IF anything ever went wrong, the poor consumer has NO RECOURSE other than a refund of the inspectors FEE.

I was so DUMB that before I heard this thrown out to the legislators MULTIPLE times by the Pro-Licensing forces, I naively thought the consumers had the same recourse they do with UNLICENSED builders, contractors OR any other group - lawsuit, small claims court, etc.

APPARENTLY thats wrong BECAUSE the Pro-Licensing groups told the legislators time after time that WITHOUT licensing the consumers were SOL.

SO / Lets try to get it together and get our facts straight here:

Licensing is VITALLY needed because:

To protect the children; For National Security; To ensure the consumer gets a quality inspection by a trained professional who has set in a CLASSROOM for 80 hours (CE is OK done by correspondence, home study, over the Internet, etc) BUT entry level HI Training MUST be done in a PHYSICAL CLASSROOM approved by the Kansas Regents Board (the group that oversee's the states Colleges, Community Colleges, Big Vo-Tech Schools, etc) according to the KHIRB (Kansas Home Inspection Review Board Chairman from Wichita (Jeff Barnes - ASHI / KAREI inspector)).

[Billy Boerner]

Mike Bushhart I thought was a pain in my *** UNTIL I really got to know him. The man is direct to the point and KNOWS exactly what he's talking about. I grew to have lots of respect for him and soon realized he's one of the greatest assets this organization has. Give him time. He loves to mess with you however in reality he's a good friend to all and I for one wouldn't have him any other way.

[Patrick Carter]

Originally Posted by bboerner

Mike Bushhart I thought was a pain in my *** UNTIL I really got to know him. The man is direct to the point and KNOWS exactly what he's talking about. I grew to have lots of respect for him and soon realized he's one of the greatest assets this organization has. Give him time. He loves to mess with you however in reality he's a good friend to all and I for one wouldn't have him any other way.

Do you not mean "Jim Bushart"

[Gary Farnsworth]

Dan: I did not realize that home builders, roofers, drywall installers, plumbers, painters, and all repair persons and contractors in Kansas or Missouri do not have to be licensed, insured, or registered to work on any home in these states. Most of these people who work on any private residence, often for days at a time, could be former rapists, dope dealers, burglars, child molesters, illegal aliens, etc.

I hope the Senators of states realize this when they have their roofs replaced or any other home repair. I wonder if these lawmakers are living in safe, well constructed residences.

Educational requirements for newbies in Kansas will be taught by teachers who have never performed an inspection. So, they will teach what ever is on the test, so they will pass it. They do the same in any school. Teach, pass the test. Onward....................

[Dan Bowers, CMI]

Gary -

Worse than that, I just found out that home buyers AND sellers are NOT licensed, required to carry E&O insurance, etc. AND there is NO background check on them - WE could be walking into buildings with convicted dope dealers, sex addicts, drunks, etc. REAL SCARY for us OLDER folks.