ARTICLE
June 10, 2025 RCAT Members, The 89th Texas Legislature's session ended on June 2nd, and though it made it out of the first committee, our licensing bill (HB 3344) died in the House Calendar committee along with thousands of others. During every legislative session, we have a new individual or group, and a few regulars, who show up to contest any proposed regulation of the roofing industry. As an organization, RCAT fully supports anyone’s right to disagree and always encourages their input in order to seek common ground. Unfortunately, there is an individual who seems determined to bring great harm to our Association’s reputation by spreading false information and defamatory content. I feel compelled to address some of these misrepresentations that have been circulated on the web and social media. The first thing I would like to address is the confusion regarding the two different versions of HB 3344. While in the process of filing our licensing bill for the legislative session, our lobby team was notified of another roofing license bill having been filed by Representative Pat Curry (Dist. 56, Waco). This is the “introduced” version found on the TLO site. RCAT had no prior knowledge and was never consulted before their bill was filed on February 25th. As a freshman legislator, Representative Curry did not know of our current, or even decades-long, efforts to get a license for roofers passed in Texas. Our lobby team at Public Blueprint immediately set meetings with Representative Curry and the other lobbyist, and all parties quickly agreed that our bill was the version he would move forward with. Once the bill was assigned to the House committee on March 21st, Representative Curry requested a “substitute” or replacement to HB 3344 which was considered in committee on April 15th. Representatives Cook , Dean, Bell (K), Button, and Longoria all signed on to support this new version of the bill. This is the “House Committee” version found on the TLO site that was voted out of committee on April 30th. It is very important to note that the “introduced” version of the bill which included the 10-years in business requirement, was discarded in early March. There is no compelling reason for anyone to continue debating or commenting on a version that was NOT considered by the legislature. I’d also like to debunk recent posts alleging that RCAT created this legislation under the direction of the insurance industry to accomplish any of the following: 1) to discriminate against small businesses and specific minority and ethnic groups, 2) to create a monopoly, or 3) to give our association control over a State governed license Advisory Board. None of this could be further from the truth. For starters, the insurance lobby had NO participation in the creation of the bill voted on by the House Committee on April 15th. Nor is there a barrier to entry or unnecessary burdens created for existing contractors in this substitute bill. I encourage you to read the bill’s summary we have provided below, and you will see that these claims are baseless. Also linked for you below are the TLO bill history and text, along with the recorded public hearing where Representative Curry lays out the substituted bill. The TRUTH is that the substitute to HB 3344 was well received during the public hearing on April 15, and it was subsequently voted out of the House Committee 7 to 1 on April 30th. It had a good chance of being voted on by the entire House. Unfortunately, a handful of legislators decided to shut down the local calendars process, which forced the pending local business onto the general calendar. This caused serious delays in getting bills scheduled for House review, including many that had already been approved by the Senate and were uncontested. HB 3344 was among many of those bills that ran out of time in the process. I want to thank Representative Pat Curry, our lobby team, our members, committee members and board of directors for their hard work in pushing this bill! Thank you to those who participated in RCAT’s Roofing Day in Austin on April 4th, and all of you who made calls and sent emails to your elected officials. Thank you to those who took the time and submitted comments to the House committee prior to the public hearing of HB 3344. More than 450 comments were received by the committee - 392 in favor of licensing, 55 opposed, and 8 that were not specific. Unfortunately, there isn’t room, nor is there time, for 450+ of you to be heard personally down at the Capitol during a scheduled public hearing. This new feature saved the members of the committee long, late-night hours and YOU valuable time with your business! It was a great effort by all, and RCAT will continue to fight this cause as long as our membership overwhelmingly has a desire to see roofers in Texas licensed. Please do not be misguided by the noise and fake news as there is nothing radical, tyrannical, discriminatory, or monopolistic with this recent legislation. We look forward to sharing more about the session with you soon in a membership meeting. Please be looking for an invitation to join the discussion. RCAT takes great pride in our representation of the Texas roofing industry over the last 50 years. Our Association and Regional Chapters, including NTRCA, HARCA, CTRCA, TPRCA, LARCA, and AARCA, are together more than 1000 members strong! Thank you for being a valuable member of our organization! And please know that both me, our Executive Director, Sarah Ramon, are always willing to take your questions, or you are always welcome to reach out to any of our Board members. We are here to serve you and our industry. Sincerely, Jeanne Boyd Curtis RCAT President 2024-2025 __________________________________________________________ Complete bill history on TLO HB 3344: https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=HB3344 Bill Text HB 3344: https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/pdf/HB03344H.pdf#navpanes=0 House Committee Hearing on HB 3344 4/15/2025: https://www.house.texas.gov/videos/21720 Start video at 1:15:43 for specific content. HB 3344 Summary: 1. Type of Regulation ? Mandatory licensing for reroofing contractors. ? Contractors must be licensed to legally perform reroofing services in Texas. 2. Scope of Applicability ? Applies specifically to reroofing contractors (individuals or entities) engaged in repairing, recovering, or replacing existing roof coverings on residential or commercial structures. ? Does not cover new construction roofing. 3. Regulatory Body ? License to be enforced by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) and the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation (TCLR). ? Establishes a Reroofing Contractor Advisory Board to ADVISE only on educational and operational matters and common industry practices. This board will be comprised of 7 members (4 licensed reroofing contractors, 2 public members, 1 state agency head). TDLR will ensure geographical diversity and association representation (2 members) on the advisory board. 4. Contractor Requirements To obtain a license: ? Proof of business registration. ? Proof of general liability insurance and/or surety bond. ? Criminal background check. ? Disclosure of contact information. ? License fees to be established by TDLR. ? Requires all advertisements and contracts to include the license number. 5. License Validity & Renewal ? Licenses are valid for two years. 6. Consumer Protections ? Written contracts are required before reroofing begins, including license number, contact details, cancellation policies, and complaint submission information. ? Maintains a public online database of licensed contractors with their disciplinary records. 7. Enforcement & Penalties ? Administrative penalties and Civil penalties (up to $500 per violation). ? Complaints to be investigation. ? Sanctions imposed (license suspension or revocation). What this bill did NOT do: 1) This bill does not prohibit licensure based on years in business or of experience. 2) This bill does not discriminate, anyone who qualifies can get a license. 3) This bill does not prohibit new business entry regardless of size. 4) This bill does not Increase the cost of insurance premiums (for homeowners or contractors) or deductibles. 5) This bill does not address the waiving of deductibles or the unlicensed practice of public adjusting. These are already illegal and addressed in other laws. 6) This bill in no way prohibits you from setting your own pricing nor does it tell you what market you can work in or who/what customer you can work with. In the 2025 regular session, a total of 8,898 bills and joint resolutions were filed. Of these, 1,209 were passed into law, including 1,137 bills and 72 resolutions.
June 10, 2025
RCAT Members,
The 89th Texas Legislature's session ended on June 2nd, and though it made it out of the first committee, our licensing bill (HB 3344) died in the House Calendar committee along with thousands of others.
During every legislative session, we have a new individual or group, and a few regulars, who show up to contest any proposed regulation of the roofing industry. As an organization, RCAT fully supports anyone’s right to disagree and always encourages their input in order to seek common ground. Unfortunately, there is an individual who seems determined to bring great harm to our Association’s reputation by spreading false information and defamatory content. I feel compelled to address some of these misrepresentations that have been circulated on the web and social media.
The first thing I would like to address is the confusion regarding the two different versions of HB 3344. While in the process of filing our licensing bill for the legislative session, our lobby team was notified of another roofing license bill having been filed by Representative Pat Curry (Dist. 56, Waco). This is the “introduced” version found on the TLO site. RCAT had no prior knowledge and was never consulted before their bill was filed on February 25th. As a freshman legislator, Representative Curry did not know of our current, or even decades-long, efforts to get a license for roofers passed in Texas.
Our lobby team at Public Blueprint immediately set meetings with Representative Curry and the other lobbyist, and all parties quickly agreed that our bill was the version he would move forward with. Once the bill was assigned to the House committee on March 21st, Representative Curry requested a “substitute” or replacement to HB 3344 which was considered in committee on April 15th. Representatives Cook , Dean, Bell (K), Button, and Longoria all signed on to support this new version of the bill. This is the “House Committee” version found on the TLO site that was voted out of committee on April 30th. It is very important to note that the “introduced” version of the bill which included the 10-years in business requirement, was discarded in early March. There is no compelling reason for anyone to continue debating or commenting on a version that was NOT considered by the legislature.
I’d also like to debunk recent posts alleging that RCAT created this legislation under the direction of the insurance industry to accomplish any of the following: 1) to discriminate against small businesses and specific minority and ethnic groups, 2) to create a monopoly, or 3) to give our association control over a State governed license Advisory Board. None of this could be further from the truth. For starters, the insurance lobby had NO participation in the creation of the bill voted on by the House Committee on April 15th. Nor is there a barrier to entry or unnecessary burdens created for existing contractors in this substitute bill.
I encourage you to read the bill’s summary we have provided below, and you will see that these claims are baseless. Also linked for you below are the TLO bill history and text, along with the recorded public hearing where Representative Curry lays out the substituted bill.
The TRUTH is that the substitute to HB 3344 was well received during the public hearing on April 15, and it was subsequently voted out of the House Committee 7 to 1 on April 30th. It had a good chance of being voted on by the entire House. Unfortunately, a handful of legislators decided to shut down the local calendars process, which forced the pending local business onto the general calendar. This caused serious delays in getting bills scheduled for House review, including many that had already been approved by the Senate and were uncontested. HB 3344 was among many of those bills that ran out of time in the process.
I want to thank Representative Pat Curry, our lobby team, our members, committee members and board of directors for their hard work in pushing this bill! Thank you to those who participated in RCAT’s Roofing Day in Austin on April 4th, and all of you who made calls and sent emails to your elected officials. Thank you to those who took the time and submitted comments to the House committee prior to the public hearing of HB 3344. More than 450 comments were received by the committee - 392 in favor of licensing, 55 opposed, and 8 that were not specific. Unfortunately, there isn’t room, nor is there time, for 450+ of you to be heard personally down at the Capitol during a scheduled public hearing. This new feature saved the members of the committee long, late-night hours and YOU valuable time with your business!
It was a great effort by all, and RCAT will continue to fight this cause as long as our membership overwhelmingly has a desire to see roofers in Texas licensed. Please do not be misguided by the noise and fake news as there is nothing radical, tyrannical, discriminatory, or monopolistic with this recent legislation. We look forward to sharing more about the session with you soon in a membership meeting. Please be looking for an invitation to join the discussion.
RCAT takes great pride in our representation of the Texas roofing industry over the last 50 years. Our Association and Regional Chapters, including NTRCA, HARCA, CTRCA, TPRCA, LARCA, and AARCA, are together more than 1000 members strong!
Thank you for being a valuable member of our organization! And please know that both me, our Executive Director, Sarah Ramon, are always willing to take your questions, or you are always welcome to reach out to any of our Board members. We are here to serve you and our industry.
Sincerely,
Jeanne Boyd Curtis
RCAT President 2024-2025
__________________________________________________________
Complete bill history on TLO HB 3344: https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=HB3344
Bill Text HB 3344: https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/pdf/HB03344H.pdf#navpanes=0
House Committee Hearing on HB 3344 4/15/2025: https://www.house.texas.gov/videos/21720 Start video at 1:15:43 for specific content.
HB 3344 Summary:
1. Type of Regulation
? Mandatory licensing for reroofing contractors.
? Contractors must be licensed to legally perform reroofing services in Texas.
2. Scope of Applicability
? Applies specifically to reroofing contractors (individuals or entities) engaged in repairing, recovering, or replacing existing roof coverings on residential or commercial structures.
? Does not cover new construction roofing.
3. Regulatory Body
? License to be enforced by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) and the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation (TCLR).
? Establishes a Reroofing Contractor Advisory Board to ADVISE only on educational and operational matters and common industry practices. This board will be comprised of 7 members (4 licensed reroofing contractors, 2 public members, 1 state agency head). TDLR will ensure geographical diversity and association representation (2 members) on the advisory board.
4. Contractor Requirements To obtain a license:
? Proof of business registration.
? Proof of general liability insurance and/or surety bond.
? Criminal background check.
? Disclosure of contact information.
? License fees to be established by TDLR.
? Requires all advertisements and contracts to include the license number.
5. License Validity & Renewal
? Licenses are valid for two years.
6. Consumer Protections
? Written contracts are required before reroofing begins, including license number, contact details, cancellation policies, and complaint submission information.
? Maintains a public online database of licensed contractors with their disciplinary records.
7. Enforcement & Penalties
? Administrative penalties and Civil penalties (up to $500 per violation).
? Complaints to be investigation.
? Sanctions imposed (license suspension or revocation).
What this bill did NOT do:
1) This bill does not prohibit licensure based on years in business or of experience.
2) This bill does not discriminate, anyone who qualifies can get a license.
3) This bill does not prohibit new business entry regardless of size.
4) This bill does not Increase the cost of insurance premiums (for homeowners or contractors) or deductibles.
5) This bill does not address the waiving of deductibles or the unlicensed practice of public adjusting. These are already illegal and addressed in other laws.
6) This bill in no way prohibits you from setting your own pricing nor does it tell you what market you can work in or who/what customer you can work with.
In the 2025 regular session, a total of 8,898 bills and joint resolutions were filed. Of these, 1,209 were passed into law, including 1,137 bills and 72 resolutions.