Texas House bill by Rep. Richardson revises master plumber license eligibility criteria

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Keresa Richardson seeks to revise eligibility criteria for master plumber licenses in Texas, aiming to update requirements for skills, experience, and examinations as overseen by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the House, 46 Democrats and 74 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while two Democrats opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 10 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor, while one Democrat voted against it.

Keresa Richardson introduced the bill in the Texas House on Monday, Feb. 24, during the 89th regular legislative session.

Richardson graduated from Texas A & M University in 1979.

Richardson, a Republican, was elected to the Texas State House in 2025 to represent the state’s 61st House district, replacing previous state representative Frederick Frazier.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to eligibility for a master plumber license’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill revises the eligibility criteria for obtaining a master plumber license in Texas by amending the Occupations Code. A master plumber must be skilled in various plumbing techniques, have worked as a journeyman plumber for at least two years or for one year with successful completion of an approved training program, perform or supervise plumbing work, and pass the required examination. The Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners is tasked with adopting necessary rules to implement these changes, which apply only to license applications submitted on or after the bill’s effective date of Sept. 1, 2025. Applications submitted before this date will be governed by the previous law.

The bill was co-authored by Rep. Alma Allen (Democrat – District 131), Rep. Mitch Little (Republican – District 65), and Rep. Gary Gates (Republican – District 28), along with 49 other authors.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Sunday, May 25, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday, June 20.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.