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Committee approves bill strengthening enforcement authority for Construction Industries Board
Summary
House Bill 1216, which moves certain penalty standards into statute, adds roofing to the covered grouping and authorizes the Construction Industries Board to contract with collection firms to recover fines for repeat or out-of-state violators, passed the committee 14-1.
The Government Oversight Committee voted to recommend House Bill 1216 after Representative West presented the bill updating statutes governing the Construction Industries Board.
Representative West said the measure transfers existing administrative rules into statute, raises the multiplier for second or subsequent penalties (industry requested raising a times‑2 administratively set penalty to times‑5 in statute) and authorizes the Construction Industries Board to contract with collection firms to collect unpaid fines and fees. “Really what this is targeted at is unlicensed and or out of state contractors,” West said, adding repeat violators sometimes avoid accountability by leaving the state.
The bill also adds roofing to the grouping subject to these rules, a change members noted increases the statutory regulatory scope for that trade. Committee members asked whether the board would keep discretion for initial enforcement decisions and whether the board should have latitude when applying multipliers for subsequent offenses. The sponsor said the board retains discretion on initial fines and that second or subsequent violations are typically significant and warrant stronger collection mechanisms.
After discussion the committee recorded a 14‑1 vote in favor and reported the bill out with a do‑pass recommendation. The committee record does not show further amendments or fiscal estimates in the transcript excerpt.
