Texas PCOs Hopeful About New Regulatory Governing Body

Texas Ag Commissioner Todd Staples (right) swears in TPCA President Mitch Wassom. (Photo courtesy of TPCA)

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas PCOs are taking a “wait and see” approach now that the Texas Structural Pest Control Board’s duties and powers have been transferred to the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA).

In June 2007, Gov. Rick Perry signed Texas House Bill 2458, which abolished the Texas Structural Pest Control Board, the controversial governing body of the structural pest control industry in Texas. Accusations against the board ranged from simply being extremely disorganized, to favoring certain pest control companies, to changing its purpose from compliance assistance to strictly an enforcement agency.

The future of the board was a divisive issue within the Texas Pest Control Association (TPCA) which, after much debate, decided to lobby in favor of keeping the board with changes. Despite these and other efforts, the board was abolished.

A TRANSITION PLAN IN PLACE. Following Perry’s signing of HB 2458 in June, a plan was put in place to transition the board’s duties and powers to the TDA, which has since set up the Structural Pest Control Service (SPCS), Texas’ new structural pest control governing body, under the direction of Jim Muse. Muse reports to Todd Staples, Texas Commissioner of Agriculture.

Mitch Wassom, president of Collins Services and president of theTexas Pest Control Association, said initially there were concerns among TPCA members. “Number one, anytime there is change human nature is to fear the unknown; and two, the fact that structural pest control was going to be regulated by a larger agency, would it get lost in the shuffle,” Wassom said.

Wassom met with Staples in July to discuss the future of the SPCS and share with him questions and concerns from TPCA members. “One of the things he mentioned was that things operate differently with elected officials (as opposed to appointed officials) because they are accountable to (voters)," he said. “Appointed officials sometimes can get entrenched in their positions and don’t have anyone to answer to.”

Wassom also said Staples expressed interest in meeting with other pest control operators in Texas. Staples also spoke at TPCA’s annual convention in December. He stated that he wanted to use the first year to look at regulations for the structural pest control industry and determine which ones are outdated and unnecessary to protect consumers and the industry. As a sign of good faith, Staples also ceremonially swore in Wassom as TPCA president.

TDA also took an important transition step in February when it announced appointees selected to serve on the newly formed Structural Pest Control Advisory Committee. They are

• Thomas Kezar of Austin and Gregory Orr of Houston are appointed as members expert in structural pest control application;
• Peggy Caruso of Katy, Johnny Hibbs of Carrollton and William Roberts of Plano are appointed as members representing public interest;
• Dr. Michael Merchant of Dallas is appointed as the member from an institution of higher education knowledgeable in the science of pests and pest control;
• William Stepan of Houston is appointed as the member representing the interests of structural pest control operators; and
• Dr. David Lakey is statutorily designated as a member of the committee as the commissioner of state health services.

A member representing the interest of consumers based on the recommendation of a consumer advocacy group or association remains to be appointed.