Nick Gromicko's Response to Biased Kansas HI Bill

[Gary Farnsworth]

James, no response. All lawmakers are now doing is counting their lobbyist income to survive their next elections. ASHI will be the only monopolistic home inspection orginization in the nation, and will be suspeptible to judicial investigations into how and why all of these unneeded home inspector laws where pushed into play by state legislatures. It will take thousands, if not millions, of dollars to run these boards, and all states do not have the funds. Sounds like a national union to me. We will have to abide by their rules, regulations, CE, pay the fees they set, etc. Big brother at it's best. If states cut education funds and give home inspector boards money, then something is very wrong with our society and governments. The United States is only 225 years old, younger than most other countries, and is suspeptible to collapse. States should work to fix that.

[Frank M. Carrio, CMI]

Originally Posted by gfarnsworth

James, no response. All lawmakers are now doing is counting their lobbyist income to survive their next elections. ASHI will be the only monopolistic home inspection orginization in the nation, and will be suspeptible to judicial investigations into how and why all of these unneeded home inspector laws where pushed into play by state legislatures. It will take thousands, if not millions, of dollars to run these boards, and all states do not have the funds. Sounds like a national union to me. We will have to abide by their rules, regulations, CE, pay the fees they set, etc. Big brother at it's best. If states cut education funds and give home inspector boards money, then something is very wrong with our society and governments. The United States is only 225 years old, younger than most other countries, and is suspeptible to collapse. States should work to fix that.

ASHI trying to form a monopoly? You have got to be kidding! Whatever gave you that idea?

Read what David Roth the Current Vice President of ASHI Northern New England Chapter of ASHI who…… just happens to be the President of the FAKE ASHI lead “Independent Coalition” of New Hampshire wrote!

ALL of the officers of this FAKE Coalition are ASHI members!

They wrote the New Hampshire law…. They got it enacted…… They dominate the Licensing Board!

{Yes..... David Roth sits on the New Hampshire H.I. Board!}

• The ONLY so called INDEPENDENT exam is …. Surprise….. The ASHI written NHIE!

During the California Gold rush who got rich? Was it the miners?.... NO…. It was the people selling the picks and shovels!

This ASHI dominated board has proposed the NHIE as “The only” valid test in the entire Home Inspector’s industry….
That means more money for ASHI!
{For you "Nay Sayers".... Don’t EVEN comment that the ASHI registered name & trademark of the NHIE is “INDEPENDENT” of ASHI!}

Now I am sure that they will go after the “Continuing Education” requirements to be only “ASHI Certified” schools and or instructors!

The IDIOT who proposed the $600.00 licensing fee has also proposed that ALL applicants have to have a MINIMUM of 25 inspections before you can apply for a license!

Carla Horn wisely pointed out that ONLY licensed Home Inspectors in New Hampshire will be able to conduct Home Inspections so….. How do you get 25-inspections if YOU do not have a license?
Why through the SLAVE LABOR “Ride Along” program that was TAKEN OUT of the bill!

These Slick Willy’s are going to try and bend and twist this law to not only “Thin the herd” and try to eliminate the “new” competition but….. They will implement the MONEY MAKING “Ride Along Program” and IMO….. they will try to funnel ALL education though ASHI!

Here is the article written by David Roth an Officer of the NNEC of ASHI and President of the FAKE so called “Independent” Coalition!


Home Inspector Licensing in New Hampshire

by David Roth

Published November 2008




Photo: SUCCESS!
It took a coalition to ensure reasonable home inspector licensing in New Hampshire.

Some of those who fought the good fight pose with New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch (seated) as the bill is signed.

From left to right:
Bill Gabler, coalition lobbyist;

David Roth, coalition president/ASHI member;

Rep. Angela Kopka; Sen. Jackie Cilley, the bill’s sponsor;

Joseph Bates, coalition legislative chair/ASHI member;

and Robert MacDonald, coalition member/NNEC-ASHI president.


In 2006, a disgruntled electrician convinced a New Hampshire House of Representatives official, who happened to be his neighbor, to introduce a Home Inspector “Registration” bill, which he believed to be similar to the start of electrician licensing some years ago. Legislators voted it down. However, those of us attending the hearings were able to respond to legislators’ questions, and we referenced the ASHI Position on Licensing and the Model Legislation. Bystanders from another national home inspector organization began labeling the bill an “ASHI bill” even though we had nothing to do with its creation.
I guess the FACT that for several months.... this particular ASHI member and other ASHI Officers from the NNEC ASHI Chapter had several meetings with the Real Estate Agent / House of Representative member Harry Gale and the FACT that they wrote / modified this bill in order to ASHIFY it meant nothing!
I am SURE that it was all innocent and that NO ASHI AGENDA was intended!

Along came 2007, and a member of the other group introduced a licensing bill into the House of Representatives. The bill had many problems: no requirements for testing, education or training (it left everything up to a board); it combined residential and commercial inspections; and it blurred the line between home inspectors and code officers. {Oh pleeeeaase!}

Realizing the partisanship of “us against them,” the officers of the Northern New England ASHI Chapter initiated an Independent Coalition of Home Inspectors, with open membership to all home inspectors conducting business in N.H.
The coalition recruited more than 70 inspectors from all home inspector associations, as well as inspectors who did not belong to any association.
This was total BS! I went to the 1st meeting. 13 inspectors attended. I was the only NACHI member and the rest were ALL ASHI!

The newly formed coalition wrote a new bill, set up a database of e-mail addresses, hired a lobbyist who recruited a state senator to sponsor this bill, and went to work introducing it in the New Hampshire Senate.

Thankfully, toward the end of the legislative session the poorly written House bill got killed, but damage was done to the coalition bill by the opposition’s negative lobbying. They mounted an e-mail campaign to the state senators claiming that the coalition bill would put many home inspectors out of business. Our sponsoring senator was unable to get our bill through the Senate in large part because of the eleventh hour negative e-mail campaign.
Talk about name calling and a 'NEGATIVE CAMPAIGN"... The past President of NNEC ASHI was in the jammed packed hallway telling every member of the House & Senate how a DOG and his untrained 11-year old daughter had passed the NACHI exam!

The coalition bill was not killed in the Senate, but rather retained for future reconsideration.

In 2008, there were more hearings, more modifications to the bill, compromises and allegations of a “turf war” between ASHI and the other home inspector group. We tried our best to be above the name-calling.
I exposed the All ASHI FAKE Coalition for what it was! The "Name Calling" was all on their side!


The point of greatest disagreement was the inclusion of an exam.
More BS. They only wanted the NHIE!


Finally, on July 7, 2008, after passing through the House and Senate, the modified coalition bill was signed by Gov. John Lynch and is now The New Hampshire Home Inspector Licensing Bill. This bill goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2010. Home inspectors will have two years to meet the education and testing requirements. An exam was not named in the legislation, but the ASHI dominated Home Inspection Board will select an independent, proctored exam after the board is formed in 2008.
They have ALREADY said the ONLY test that they are considering is the NHIE!

All home inspectors will be required to pass the exam. However, home inspectors who have inspected homes full time for at least 12 months prior to Jan. 1, 2010, shall be receive a grandfather exemption from having to complete the required 80 hours of education.

Those of us in the coalition who fought so hard for “good” legislation feel we have come far on this three-year journey, have learned many lessons and will have to stay vigilant to prevent “bad” modifications to a reasonable bill.

Special thanks to Joe Bates, Coalition Legislative chair and past-president of Northern New England ASHI, and his wife, Karen, for their many hours, days and months of drafting, reviewing and closely monitoring the legislative issues, and their vigilance and drive that pushed this bill to a successful completion. Thanks to Bob MacDonald, president of Northern New England ASHI, for his constant and dedicated participation, and heartfelt thanks to New Hampshire Sen. Jacalyn Cilley for her perseverance and strength in staying behind this bill in the face of strong opposition.

As a last note to anyone involved in home inspector legislation in another state, the best advice we can give you is the following:

1. Form a coalition of home inspectors in your state regardless of association, and iron out any discrepancies BEFORE you go to the legislature. You do NOT want internal home inspector arguments taking place at public hearings. As a unified voice, you will be much more productive.
As a "Unified Voice" ..... what a CROCK! I told both the House & The Senate that this FAKE coalition did NOT speak for NACHI in any way shape or form!

2. Hire a lobbyist to work for you. Lobbyists are familiar with how things get done in the legislature, and a good lobbyist can make a huge
difference.

David Roth is an ASHI Certified Inspector and president of the New Hampshire Coalition for the Licensing of Home Inspectors.

[James H. Bushart]

Originally Posted by gfarnsworth

James, no response.

...perhaps to your first or second try. Send an email, then make the call to the office to see if they got your email. Tell the assistant what the email was about and how important it is that Wysong gets it. Ask for an appointment to meet with him to discuss your email.

If you use your home inspection income to support a family....then others are counting on you (and the other MO and KS inspectors reading this) to get the message through.

Don't stop sending it ... phoning it .... mailing it .... until you hear something back.

[James H. Bushart]

Nick Gromicko has something to lose, here. If the bad guys are able to win and get their bill turned into a law, they will certainly give InterNACHI a hard way to go to get its outstanding educational programs (yes, there are some) accepted for CEUs...but it does not stop him from publicly objecting to a bill that everyone knows is bad for the consumer, bad for the profession, and bad for the Kansas home inspector.

We have to accept the fact that...while the men are fighting...there are some vaginal impersonators who hide in the shadows in fear that a public objection could cost them a relationship with a real estate salesman. Thank God that they are the minority and when the battle is over, we can deal with them in our own way.

But we have to believe that this new opportunity to challenge a bad law is an opportunity to do good. If it takes 10 or one hundred times ten attempts to get our message through.....THIS TIME.....let's not have the bill signed into law without seeing that the extra effort was made.

Nick has committed himself to this fight and I am proud to follow his lead.

[James H. Bushart]

A very special "Thank You" to the members of The Alliance of Missouri Home Inspectors and others who responded to the request for letters to Senator Wysong, thus far. If a Kansas member who is planning to be at the formal hearings on the bill next week will email me, I will send him copies of the emails that that I have been copied on so that they can be printed out and re-presented to the full committee in hard copy.

[Richard Fitzwater]

David "Lee" Roth Van Halen Fame?

[James H. Bushart]

Posted on Mon, Mar. 02, 2009
State revenues down in Kansas


The Associated Press

TOPEKA | The state of Kansas received more bad news about its budget from preliminary tax collection figures for February.


Those figures from the Department of Revenue show that tax collections were about $12 million short of expectations last month.


The state's official economic forecast predicted Kansas could collect $251 million in general tax revenues. Instead, it collected about $239 million.


Revenues have been running short of expectations throughout the current fiscal year. Fiscal 2009 ends June 30.


The Legislative Research Department will issue a final report on February revenue collections later this week. That will be followed by a new deficit projection for the fiscal 2010.


Researchers now project that the state would end fiscal 2010 with a $654 million deficit if it attempted to duplicate its current budget.

[James H. Bushart]

There was originally to be two days for Special Hearing on this bill...but today, a third day of hearings was scheduled for tomorrow.

This is an interesting development.

[Casey Patten]

Hey there,
So, here's a question; in those counties that the state of KS labeled as "population < 60K", I see 3 cities that are MAJOR college towns (Manhatten, Lawrence, & Hutchinson). Has anyone thought of that aspect; that these so called "large cities" really aren't, just an influx of college renters?

[dharris]

Originally Posted by jbushart

...perhaps to your first or second try. Send an email, then make the call to the office to see if they got your email. Tell the assistant what the email was about and how important it is that Wysong gets it. Ask for an appointment to meet with him to discuss your email.

If you use your home inspection income to support a family....then others are counting on you (and the other MO and KS inspectors reading this) to get the message through.

Don't stop sending it ... phoning it .... mailing it .... until you hear something back.

Busshy.. I'm getting two messages from you.
1st you don't want the goverment involved in our business.
2nd you supported obamma.
How can you have one, and not the other???

[Gary Farnsworth]

Dan and I are working on things. They are happening fast. Announcements will happen soon. We are silent for now, as we all must be for the next few days. There are conflicts happening. I can say that the committee is listening.

[David Moriconi]

thanks Nick from me

[Jeff Orcas]

Maybe I am missing something but in a thread labeled Nick Gromicko's Response all I see is a letter from a lawyer requesting a meeting. Why didn't Nick write the letter as the leader of Inachi? Does he feel that lawyer's carry more weight than he does? If he was really serious then he would hire a lobbyist (*who are frequently lawyers) to solicit all the Legislators for meetings. I am no politician but I do know that one legislator only has one vote......

Is Nick serious about support the Kansas and MIssouri members???

Jeff

[James H. Bushart]

The battle...fought on several fronts utilizing a variety of tactics, persons, and contacts....has resulted in having the Kansas Senate rewrite the bill that was sent to them from the House.

The changes are, to say the least, substantial. Suffice it to say that Mr. Barnes is an extremely unhappy camper...which is good news for the profession, for the consumer, and for the Kansas home inspector.

The Senate version goes back to the House and, if not resolved by 4/24, goes in the trash and we start all over from scratch next year.

Thanks to all of the key players and to the supporters who came through with the emails, letters and faxes.

We really did change history this time by taking a bill that had actually been signed in to law...and getting rid of it.

This is proof to everyone who wants to fight the attempts of special interests to control them with licensing laws that they are NOT inevitable.

Thanks again, Nick Gromicko, for the killer blow.

[Gary Farnsworth]

Kansas HB #2260 passes the Kansas senate today; 33 yeas, 7 nays. There has been several language changes. Some parts where eleminated. I have not seen the final bill yet. The senate was very busy today, and some journals will not be posted for days. We will have to wait for the final bill. Next, the governor....????