Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine November 2019

payment for their services—over $30,000 for their first three months. Oh, well, they siphoned over a million dollars out of the program for the past twelve years. Sorry that is another stump that I frequently mount with great indignation. So, you may have noticed that the entry graphic said, “Moving On Up.” Is that true? I must say that the program’s new nurturer is doing an excellent job. Frankly, that is much to my pleasant surprise. I had hoped we’d end up at the Contractor’s Licensing Board with the goal of bringing all the construction trades under that umbrella. It soon became apparent that our appeals were not really being considered and that the train had already left the station. Even so, we are being promised that nothing is finished until the “fat lady sings” and the goal today is to complete the transition and bring the program into the 21 st Century. (Those are my words.) So (again), how is the new Department doing? Concrete things are amazing: 1. Inspectors have been given smart phones. 2. Inspectors have been given laptops. 3. Inspectors will be able to pull up the status of a contractor and registrants to determine if they are currently licensed. 4. The meetings are being broadcast via Zoom so Board Members in the far reaches of the

HVACR Licensing Program

Makes the Move July 1, 2019, was the official date that the HVACR Licensing Program made the transition from the Health Department to the newly formed Department of Labor and Licensing. Of course, there was no official line that the inspectors and others crossed over on that date. It took in depth coordination between the two agencies and lots of patience and persistence on the part of the Program’s staff. The chief inspector and a field inspector retired on that date which left the program without important leadership. It wasn’t until October 1, that the umbilical cord was cut and the Department of Labor and Licensing took full control. Even four months after the official change, the Department of Health is still managing the licensing aspects of the program and getting notable