HOUSTON—The need to fix homes that Hurricane Ike destroyed is so great that contractors and builders are coming in from other states to help, but Texas law is getting in the way.

Take Chris Copal, for example.

This contractor and his partner decided to trade their homes and businesses in Missouri for a 30-foot RV.

Copal said they headed to Texas hoping to help rebuild the Lone Star State and make money.

The pair set up shop in Willis and recently learned that Texas law may keep their business quiet.

“The way we are reading the law and hearing from TRCC, they can not do business in Texas,” said Parsons of the Better Business Bureau in Houston.

He says that out-of-state contractors and builders can’t work in Texas legally without a license.

The law was written that way in order to protect you from hiring an unlicensed builder or contractor, Parsons said.

This Texas law also means there may be a shortage of help.

“There’s going to come a threshold where there isn’t enough contractors to do all that business. I think the TRCC is going to have to come up with an exemption,” said Parsons.

AP photo

Gina Hadley walks through what's left of her home in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike in Galveston, Texas.

That may not happen, according to experts. They say that the law is meant to protect consumers from shady builders and contractors who might not warranty their work.

“We are taking an aggressive stance toward that we are setting up shop along the Gulf Coast,” said Duane Waddill with the Texas Residential Construction Commission.

“As an agency, we are looking at builders and remodelers who are working without proper registration,” said Waddill.

But the TRCC’s enforcement is up for debate.

Reports indicate that the group is under state review and could be abolished.

Critics contend that the agency protects the builders that support it, and that is preventing competition from out-of-state workers -- even in an emergency.

“We are in an emergency. We are in a situation where someone is trying to put their house back together and may be they can’t get a Texas contractor,” said Parsons.

Copal says he understands the criticism.

“It gives me goose bumps knowing I can help a lot of people out here,” he said.

He just hopes politics won’t wash away his good intentions.