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House painters won’t need a license under a new Michigan law.
The law starts Thursday. It removes painting and decorating from a list of trades covered by a state license for residential maintenance and alteration.
The Senate Fiscal Agency says there were 432 Michigan contractors licensed in painting and decorating in December. They had to complete 60 hours of education and pass an exam. They paid an initial $195 fee and a $150 renewal fee every three years.
The House Fiscal Agency says painters were licensed to prevent consumer fraud. Gov. Rick Snyder signed the repeal law on Dec. 27, a few days before leaving office. (AP)
A license doesn’t guarantee good work, but it does give a person recourse by filing a complaint the state’s LARA system. Now the consumer will have to bear the cost of taking a bad paint contractor to court. How is that helpful to a consumer?