The Inspector Committee met in Austin on October 9th and for the first time, the meeting was available to be viewed online in real time. This allowed license holders and members of the public to view the meeting live. This was an initial test run to see if streaming the meeting will be practical. No decision has yet been made about future streaming as TREC staff is continuing to explore options. I’ll keep you posted on the progress of this exciting addition to our meetings in the upcoming months.

The Committee met to discuss the inspector-related rules proposed at the August Commission meeting and review any comments received regarding those rules.  No comments were received on the proposed rule to eliminate the licensing exemption for certain Inspector CE providers. As a result, the Committee recommended adoption of the rule as proposed and that rule was adopted at the November Commission meeting.

The Committee also reviewed comments received on proposed changes to the inspector financial responsibility requirements (22 TAC 535.211), in particular, the proposal to prohibit “defense within limits” clauses in insurance policies purchased by inspectors to meet the minimum financial responsibility requirements. The Committee recommended that the Commission delay adoption of this rule to allow staff time to provide the Committee additional information on the potential impact these changes may have on insurance policy availability and premiums.  The Commission agreed with the Committee’s recommendation and postponed action on this rule until its February 2018 Meeting.

As always, I encourage you to be involved. Your input is important to the work we do for the consumers of Texas.  The next Committee meeting is scheduled for January 8th at 10 am, with an SOP Subcommittee meeting scheduled for 9 am that same day.  I want to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season and hopes for a successful 2018.