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MONDAY MORNING MESSENGER
March 30, 2020
In Brief
In this issue of the Monday Morning Messenger , read our Top Story , the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) & the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) will hold informative webinars to educate the propane industry on all the national resources available them and answer your industry related questions in regards to the Coronavirus.

In our second story of the morning, find a more recent update to the expiration of commercial drivers licenses in Texas. Find out how long your expired CDL is good for in Texas.

Additionally, the association covers all the latest regulatory changes from over the last week, some we are reminding you of, and some are new alerts, TPGA thought were important to share.

Lastly, read our last story of the morning for some news from the Texas Attorney General. The AG warns of the steep fines related to price gouging. Additionally, on separate, he wants to alert Texans of some potential COVID related scams.
MEMBERS ONLY
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
In this issue
  • In Brief
  • Top Story: COVID Q & A
Webinars Scheduled
  • Important CDL Update
  • Regulatory Tidbits
  • Texas AG Alerts
Top Story
Industry COVID Q & A Webinars Scheduled
The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC)and the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA), invite you to participate in an update on the propane industry and the COVID-19 virus.

There will be two upcoming webinars to give you an opportunity to learn about resources that are available to you, the top questions we are hearing, and the top things you need to know. PERC & NPGA want to hear from you and answer your questions.

The webinars are scheduled for Tuesday, March 31 at 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. CST and on Wednesday, April 1 at 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m CST.

Please only register for one webinar. The second webinar will be a repeat of the first for those who can't tune in on Tuesday.



Please submit your questions in advance. This will improve the productivity of the discussion and ensure the topics of highest concern are addressed. To submit questions, please email editor@propane.com .
Regulatory Update
Expired Texas CDL's with HME & Medical Cards
Valid through June 30, 2020
The Office of the Governor approved the Texas Department of Public Safety (TX DPS)'s request to suspend provisions of the Texas Transportation Code to delay the expiration date of driver licenses, commercial driver licenses and identification cards. You may download a copy of the   Verification of Driver License Expiration Extension (PDF)   notice. All local and state law enforcement officials have been notified of this expiration waiver.

To ensure commercial drivers are able to continue to work during the national emergency, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) temporarily waived compliance for medical certificates expiring from March 1, 2020 until June 30, 2020 . The Texas Department of Public Safety will continue to process medical certificates received, and will discontinue the downgrade of CDLs for expired medical certificates. When the Department resumes normal operations, you will be able to renew without any penalty.

Furthermore, the hazardous material endorsement expiration is waived by the TX DPS as part of the CDL expiration date waiver issued by the Office of the Governor, since driver license offices are closed for these types of transactions.

If you have a CDL, a medical certificate or a hazardous material endorsement that is expired, you may continue to use your current card until June 30, 2020 .

Drivers who have an updated medical certificate may still submit it to the department by email CDLMedCert@dps.texas.gov or by fax 512-424-2002.
Regulatory Tidbits
Most Recent Pertinent Coronavirus
Regulatory Relief News Briefs
RRC waives propane transport exam requirement

RRC cancels all in-person LPG classes & will add more online classes

U.S. DOT PHMSA waives recurrent hazmat training requirement compliance for 90 days due to Coronavirus outbreak

U.S. DOT & FMCSA both release guidance on compliance relief in light of COVID regarding drug & alcohol testing requirements

Visit TPGA Regulatory News section of the TPGA website to get more details on the above-mentioned news as we cover the above in individual stories on our regularly updated regulatory blog.

Visit TPGA's Coronavirus/COVID-19 resource webpage on the TPGA website to access regulatory waivers, updates, and the latest Coronavirus industry related assets.
Legal Beat
Texas Attorney General Warns
Against Price Gouging
Attorney General Ken Paxton warned that Texas state law prohibits price gouging in the wake of a declared disaster like the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

“Any person or business selling goods must be aware that they are prohibited by law from engaging in price gouging if they unreasonably raise the cost of necessary supplies at any point during a declared disaster,” said Attorney General Paxton. “My office will work aggressively to prevent disaster scams and stands ready to prosecute any price-gouger who takes advantage of those taking precautions and looking for safety and supplies.”

Currently, the disaster declaration prompted by several discovered cases of Coronavirus in Texas is effective across the entire state. Price gouging is illegal, and a disaster declaration triggers tough penalties under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

Price-gougers may be required to reimburse consumers and may be held liable for civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation with an additional penalty of up to $250,000 if the affected consumers are elderly.  

Texans who believe they have encountered price gouging should call the Office of the Attorney General’s toll-free complaint line at (800) 621-0508 or file a complaint online.
AG Says Be Aware of Cyber Scams During Coro­n­avirus (COVID-19) Emergency
Several cyber scams involving false emails or text messages have been reported, and Attorney General Paxton advises all Texans to be on alert for electronic communications with dangerous attachments or fraudulent website links. Unscrupulous actors send these messages with the intention of deceiving citizens into revealing sensitive information or donating to false charities.

Any email or social media post with a Coronavirus (COVID-19) subject line, attachment or hyperlink should be treated with caution. 

Remember these tips to avoid cyber scams: 
  • Avoid clicking on links in unsolicited emails and be wary of email attachments. 
  • Use trusted sources like legitimate, government websites for up-to-date, fact-based information about COVID-19.
  • Do not reveal any personal or financial information in an email, and do not respond to any email solicitations for this information.
  • Verify a charity’s authenticity before making donations. 

Texans who believe they have encountered disaster scams should call the Office of the Attorney General’s toll-free complaint line at (800) 621-0508 or  file a complaint online . For additional information on disaster scams, please visit our  disaster scams website . 
Quote of the Week

“Prepare and prevent, don’t repair and repent.” – Author Unknown