June 18, 2026 Business Meeting Minutes - State Board of Plumbing
Date: June 18, 2026
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Place: 100 South Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
Held via Video Conference
Via teleconference 1-414-909-7588 (PIN: 385820141)
Members Present: Joseph Radtka, Chairman
Craig Stokes, Industry Member
Robert Parker, Consumer Member
Leif Hancock, Industry Member
Megan Klepsig, Industry Member
Members Absent: Hayward Hinkhaus, Vice Chairman, Industry Member
LABOR Officials & Staff Present: Charles Marquette, Executive Director, Mechanical Licensing
Sloane Fried Kinstler, Assistant Attorney General
Andrew Friel, Director of Governmental Affairs, Occupational and Professional Licensing
LaKissha Thornton, Administrative Officer III
Alicia Dennis, Division of Workforce Development and Adult Education
Others Present: Wayne Fishpaw, Pipe Trades Technologies
Lauren Martin, Seaside Plumbing
Call to Order:
Chairman Radtka called the Jume 18, 2026, Business Meeting of the Maryland State Board of Plumbing to order, virtually, at 10:31 a.m.
Approval of the Agenda:
A motion to adopt the June 18, 2026 meeting agenda was made by Mr. Parker, seconded by Mr. Stokes and unanimously approved by the Board.
Approval of the Minutes:
A motion to approve the May 21, 2026, Business Meeting minutes was made by Mr. Stokes, seconded by Mr. Parker, and unanimously approved by the Board without amendment.
Plumbing Complaint Committee:
Chairman Radtka reported the following findings of the Complaint Committee:
| Closed Complaint | Under Investigation | Sent for A.G. Pre-Charge | Criminally Charged |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25-0025 | 26-0017 | 25-0020 | |
| 25-0034 |
A motion to accept the findings of the Complaint Committee was made by Mr. Hancock, seconded by Mr. Parker, and unanimously approved by the Board.
Application Review Committee Report:
Chairman Radtka reported that an application to become an approved as a backflow instructor was submitted by Joshua Roycroft. A motion to approve the application was made by Mr. Stokes, seconded by Mr. Parker, and unanimously approved by the Board.
Review of Examination Statistics and License Totals:
Ms. Thornton reported the following statistical summary submitted by PSI for May 2026:
| Role | Candidates Tested | Passed | Failed | Pass Rate % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journey Natural Gas Fitter | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% |
| Journey Plumber/Gas Fitter | 63 | 27 | 36 | 43% |
| Master Natural Gas Fitter | 7 | 3 | 4 | 40% |
| Master Plumber/Gas Fitter | 20 | 8 | 12 | 40% |
| TOTAL | 95 | 40 | 55 | 42% |
Ms. Thornton further reported that since January 2026, 443 candidates were tested, with 178 candidates having passed, 2654 having failed, for a pass rate of 40%. Since the inception of the test, 13,506 candidates were tested, with 4,920 candidates passed, 8,586 failed, for a pass rate of 36%. There are currently 14,417 active licensees.
Natural Gas Fitter Provider Committee Report
Director Marquette stated that he was in the process of drafting a notice to be sent to the current Natural Gasfitter training providers. The notice will request that they confirm that they are still providing Natural Gasfitter training and, if so, provide a copy of their curriculum. He added that the draft would be complete and ready for the Board’s review at the July meeting.
Correspondence:
There was no correspondence to be discussed.
Old Business:
Code Adoption update
Director Marquette stated that the proposed regulation to update the Code in COMAR 09.20.01.01 would be published on June 26, 2026, and would begin the public comment period. After the 30-day comment period, the regulation will go back to the Division of Labor and Industry for final approval. He added that he would keep the Board abreast of any new developments.
Director Marquette also stated that he had been in contact with PSI regarding any changes that would be made to the current exam after the 2024 codes had been adopted. He stated that PSI indicated that they removed several questions from the current exam when formulating the 2024 exam. Director Marquette added that he requested PSI provide him with the questions to be removed from the exam for the Board’s review. At the time of the meeting, he had not received them. Chairman Radtka requested that Director Marquette confirm how many questions would be left in the exam test bank and suggested that they Board may wish to review the exam to ensure there were a sufficient number of questions left.
Virginia Reciprocity Agreement:
Director Marquette stated that a proposed reciprocal licensing agreement with the Virginia Board (VA Board) for Contractors had been drafted and sent to the VA Board for review. He added that the VA Board would meet next week, and he anticipated an update from the VA Board after the meeting. Chairman Radtka stated that the Board of HVACR Contractors had a reciprocal agreement with Virginia and that he looked forward to establishing an agreement for the Plumbing Board. He added that he would like to explore reciprocal licensing agreements with other neighboring states, including West Virginia and some local Pennsylvania jurisdictions, such as Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
New Business:
Reformation of the Application Review Committee:
Chairman Radtka stated that the Board needed to reform the Application Review member as he was the only current member. Mr. Parker and Mr. Stokes volunteered to serve on the Committee. Mr. Parker agreed to be the Committee Chairman. Mr. Hancock moved to reestablish the Application Review Committee with Mr. Parker as Committee Chair and Mr. Stokes and Chairman Radtka as members. The motion was seconded by Mr. Parker and unanimously approved by the Board.
Executive Director’s Report:
Director Marquette did not offer a report.
Counsel’s Report:
Counsel did not offer report but reminded the Board that it would need to convene in a closed session to review a proposed decision from an Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) and consider a proposed order.
Chair’s Report:
The Chairman reported that he was pleased with the Complaint Committee for reviewing complaints in a timely and efficient manner. He added that it has led to more cases being resolved by the Board.
Closed Session:
Upon a motion by Mr. Parker, seconded by Mr. Hancock, the Board unanimously voted to enter in a closed session to consider an ALJ’s Proposed Decision at 10:52 a.m., via Google Meets, pursuant to § 3-305(b)(2) and (7) of the Gen. Prov. Art., Md. Ann. Code, to protect the privacy and reputation of an applicant or licensee and to obtain advice provided by Counsel regarding the license applications and litigation.
Board Members Present: Joseph Radtka, Craig Stokes, Robert Parker, Leif Hancock, Megan Klepsig Staff Present, Sloane Kinstler, Chuck Marquette, Lakissha Thornton
Topics Discussed: Case No.: PLUM 23-0051, Review Proposed Decision and recommended order of an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) at the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) .
The ALJ found that the Respondent violated Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. and Prof. §12-312(a)(1)(iii) for incompetence in the provision of plumbing services; and (iv) for violating the State Plumbing Code. The Board recommended that the Respondent be reprimanded and that a civil monetary penalty be imposed of $1,438.43 for incompetence in the provision of plumbing services; and $5000.00 for failure to pull a required permit, for a total amount of $6,138.43.
After a discussion, Mr. Stokes moved to accept the findings of the ALJ. The motion was seconded by Mr. Parker and unanimously approved by the Board.
A motion to return to the business meeting was made by Mr. Hancock, seconded by Mr. Parker, and unanimously approved by the Board at 11:13 a.m.
Upon reconvening the Business Meeting. a motion to accept the findings of the Closed Session was made by Mr. Parker, seconded by Mr. Stokes, and unanimously approved by the Board.
Adjournment:
A motion to adjourn the June 18, 2026, Business Meeting was made by Mr. Hancock, seconded by Parker, to adjourn the Business Meeting, and was unanimously approved by the Board.
