Texas law requires PC repair techs to carry a PI license

by Steve Ragan - Jul 2 2008, 11:13

Texas law has always been, just like the state, big and bold. However, sometimes the laws will make you stop and wonder exactly what some of the lawmakers are thinking. Take for example a law that requires a PC repair technician to hold a valid Private Investigator license. If they fail to comply, they can face a $4,000 fine and one year in jail, as well as other civil penalties.

Seriously, there is a law in Texas that requires computer repair shops to ensure that the employees working for them are certified Private Investigators. The PC Techs will need to earn a criminal justice degree or do a three-year apprenticeship under a licensed private investigator. If you perform certain repairs without a private investigator’s license, or if you have your computer repaired by someone without a license, you can be punished by a $4,000 fine and one year in jail as well as a $10,000 civil penalty. Already, some repair shops in Texas have had to close because of this law.

Matt Miller, the executive director of the Institute for Justice Texas Chapter, which is located in Austin, said, “Texas is working hard to bring technology innovators to the state. Laws like this tell computer entrepreneurs that they are not welcome here, and that they must risk jail time in order to continue working in their chosen field.”

The newly launched Institute for Justice Texas Chapter (IJ-TX) is challenging the new law under the Texas Constitution by filing a lawsuit in Travis County against the Private Security Board on behalf of Texas computer repair companies and their customers. The suit lists entrepreneurs such as Mike Rife, who operates AustinPCTech, a company he started more than 10 years ago. Thanks to this strange law, he is unsure as to where he stands. "We are just a small shop," Rife said to the Daily Texan. "It would have a very serious impact if our business had to sign up for an entrepreneurship and pay the required fees. I am just going to have to be really careful in scrutinizing work and the questions we are answering," he said.

David Norelid, another plaintiff, is co-owner of Citronix Tech Services in Houston. Norelid started Citronix in Florida before moving to Texas to pursue his degree in information technology management. Norelid said, “If I was required to get a P.I. license to run my business, I’d have to shut my business down.”

“Rife and Norelid do not doubt their ability to compete with so-called “big box” competitors in the computer repair business. What they cannot compete with is a government-created cartel that demands they close their businesses and complete a three-year apprenticeship under a licensed private investigator to get a state-required license—or risk jail time and large monetary penalties if they continue serving their customers without one,” a IJ-TX briefing on the Texas law and pending suit explains.

It should be interesting to see how this lawsuit plays out in court.

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