The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation commission voted to adopt proposals for decision and issue sanctions in multiple contested cases brought by the agency’s enforcement division, commissioners said at the meeting.

Prosecutors from TDLR’s enforcement division recommended a series of outcomes and the commission voted to adopt the administrative law judges’ findings and recommended sanctions. “I ask that you adopt the proposal for decision as written,” prosecutor Jessica Hurtado told commissioners while presenting a case involving a massage therapist application.

Why it matters: The rulings remove or block licensees from regulated occupations the department says raise public-safety or consumer-protection concerns and show the commission acting on enforcement recommendations compiled after State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) proceedings.

Most important actions: The commission adopted proposals for decision recommending denial or revocation in multiple cases:
- Denied the application of Lee Hong Liu for a massage therapist license after prosecutors summarized arrests and a prostitution conviction and said the ALJ concluded the applicant is not fit to hold a massage license (presentation by Jessica Hurtado). Prosecutors noted the conviction, the SOAH record and the ALJ’s analysis under the chapter 53 factors.
- Assessed a $4,000 administrative penalty against Monica A. Perez for performing electrical work without a contractor license; prosecutors said homeowner inspections found safety hazards and an eventual licensed electrician spent about $10,000 and three months to correct the work (presentation by Natalie Olvera).
- Denied Fred Adrian Anselduva’s application for an apprentice electrician license due to a lengthy criminal history the ALJ treated as guideline crimes for electricians (presentation by Natalie Olvera).
- Revoked the massage therapist license of Keith Wayne Mullins after the ALJ concluded the licensee’s criminal plea and the underlying conduct meant he was not fit to hold the license (presentation by Jessica Hurtado).
- Denied a consent-to-operate application for Victor Blake Evans after the ALJ concluded the applicant’s extensive criminal history, including multiple felony convictions and recent prison sentences, rendered him unfit for a tow-operator license (presentation by Jessica Mercado).

Officials’ explanation and process: Prosecutors framed each recommendation around the evidence in the SOAH record and Texas’s statutory fitness factors for licensing decisions. The ALJ analyses cited timing of offenses, types of crimes (including crimes against the person and prostitution-related offenses), lack of rehabilitative documentation and potential risks tied to the licensed occupation. General counsel and staff clarified the record when commissioners asked whether specific documents were submitted at the SOAH hearing.

What the commission did not record: Votes were taken by voice and the transcript records “All in favor, say aye” and “Motion carries.” The transcript does not show a roll-call vote or individual commissioner votes for these items.

Next steps: TDLR staff told respondents and their representatives that staff will follow up about options and next steps after the rulings. Several items were presented as proposals for decision (PFD) from the ALJ and were adopted by the commission as written.

Ending: Commissioners said staff would contact affected respondents with procedural information and next steps; the department will continue to present contested cases and PFDs at future meetings.