TDLR STREAMLINES LICENSING PROCEDURES FOR KATRINA EVACUEES Agency to Issue Provisional Licenses Allowing Skilled Evacuees to Work in Texas
September 8, 2005
For Immediate Release
Contact: Patrick Shaughnessy
512-463-3208
The Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation Thursday adopted emergency rules that will allow the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) to issue provisional occupational licenses and waive licensing fees for evacuees who came to Texas when they were forced from their homes by Hurricane Katrina.
Under the new rules, TDLR will reduce upfront documentation requirements for individuals who came to Texas from states affected by Katrina who apply for barber and cosmetology licenses. The agency also will waive reciprocal licensing fees, independent contractor license fees and booth rental license fees for licensed cosmetologists and barbers evacuated to Texas from Louisiana and will charge those applicants only a license processing fee. The agency will issue provisional licenses that will allow barbers and cosmetologists to pursue their professions in Texas. The nonrenewable provisional licenses will be effective immediately and will be valid for 180 days.
"The disaster has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and we understand the need for those folks to find jobs as quickly as possible so they will be able to support themselves and their families," said William Kuntz, TDLR's executive director. "These provisional licenses will allow them to go to work right away at the job they were trained for, and are good for 180 days. Then, if they decide to stay in Texas, they will have the time and opportunity to obtain a regular license."
Normally, barber and cosmetology applicants from other states seeking provisional licenses are required to provide copies of their home state licenses and certified transcripts demonstrating their training. They cannot work until the documents have been verified. TDLR will waive the requirement that these documents be provided and verified upfront and instead will work with agencies in Katrina-affected states to obtain the necessary documents. The provisional licenses will allow applicants to work during the verification process.
"People running from a hurricane don't have much opportunity to grab licenses and transcripts," Kuntz said. "We know the vast majority of the evacuees won't have the documentation we would normally require. Extraordinary circumstances require us to use greater common sense and to be more flexible."
TDLR also licenses electricians and air conditioning/heating contractors. Electricians from other states may apply for apprentice electrician licenses which can be issued immediately and are valid for one year. An apprentice license allows an electrician to perform the entire scope of electrical work while working under the supervision of a master electrician.
Air conditioning and heating contractors from other states can work as air conditioning technicians in Texas without a license if they work for a licensed contractor.
To apply for a provisional license, applicants will need to provide their name, their date of birth, a permanent home address, a mailing address in Texas where their provisional license will be sent and the type of license they hold in their home state. TDLR will issue a provisional license enabling the applicant to immediately go to work. TDLR will then verify the applicant's license status in their home state.
To receive news and updates on any of the programs TDLR administers, sign up for TDLR's email subscription service at http://www.license.state.tx.us/newsletters/TDLRnotificationLists.asp.
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