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Day 143 since completed application materials received and...

Application Completed - license issued or certificate active

Now, just have to wait 'patiently' by the mailbox.

Finally, some progress! I called today and my background check was returned yesterday.

Day 127... no issues with paperwork...

Called DPS and they are still waiting on the Harris County background check. I asked if anyone there could give me some sort of realistic expectation for when it might be finished considering Harris County has had it for nearly 15 weeks now. I asked if someone could tell me what the backlog still looks like for applications received by DPS in early February and recieved by Harris County in early March. The rep's answer... "no, there is no one here that can provide that information... they come in every day and it will get here when it gets here".

2 messages to Heather Brummet in the past two weeks...nothing in return. 3 messages to Jan Coffey in the past week... nothing in return.

This really is a joke...

Day 119... DPS is still waiting on response from Harris County...

The problem as I can see it from all the responses I have gotten from DPS is simply that I am not compassionate enough of poor Harris County that has had to deal with the burden of a 'record increase' in applications. It goes amazingly silent when you talk about the proportional increase in fees received.

Statutes, what statutes? They don't apply if the government doesn't want them to - after all, who is going to do anything about it? Certainly not Senator Patrick or Rep Fletcher's offices. They have explained to me quite clearly that there is absolutely nothing they can do about it. They pass on my message to DPS and DPS ignores it just as they do my inquiries.

Ok... rant over. Time for a beer.

On day 113 (ZERO problems with the paperwork) and just found out from DPS that they are still waiting on the background check

JonK wrote:
I believe that most of the "help" these days is purely in our heads. I believe that a few months ago calling may have made a big difference but I have "help" from Senator Huffman's office and I am getting my license tomorrow (day 115). I only know it will be here tomorrow because I have a UPS next day air tracking number.

My only point here is now that lots of people are calling I do not believe that DPS really is expediting anything for anyone anymore. Just my 2 cents.

-JonK

Hopefully my background is soon to be done. Looking at your timeline, they received your application a week before mine but I am already more than two weeks past when they completed your background check. I wish I believed they were really handling 'first in, first out' but I seriously wonder if that is how it works. There is not a single thing on my record for them to take a second look at so I have to presume that it is still sitting in a pile.

I need any feedback from anyone who has had success with contacting your representative. I spoke today with Senator Patrick's office and they are telling me there is really nothing they can do. They called DPS and was told the background check has yet to be returned and DPS in Austin has no way to contact the investigators in Harris County directly to check on the status of the BC.

I have seen many people say that contacting their State Rep or State Senator has been helpful. I just can't imagine that for each and every person it was complete coincidence that their process got moving after contacting their rep.

Senator Patrick's office is telling me that they would love to help me but they only have one legislative contact number at DPS and that is where they got the information that there is really nothing that can be done. Does anyone have any information for a situation where it helped and what they actually did to speed up the process. Alternatively, the lady in Sen Patrick's office asked if I could name any specific representative offices where they were able to do anything so she could call them and see what they are doing differently. She said she would actually love to know.

Any information would be very useful. On day 105, background check is still in a pile in Harris County and I am getting increasingly frustrated.

On day 104... called DPS and... wait for it... they are still waiting on the background check to be returned. Apparently, it will get done when it gets done. I was happy she explained that to me because I had not heard that one before.

Currently on day 92 and just heard from DPS that they are STILL waiting on the background checks to be returned... and of course there is no one who can check with anyone in Harris County about the status of the background check.

I have previously contacted both my State Rep and State Senator and apparently, it hasn't been very helpful in getting mine moving.

txfnp01 wrote:Hello Harris County Apps.,
Don't get down! It took me 144 days to get mine thru the system. :)
The problem I found out that there is only 1 deputy processing all paperwork for Harris County. This takes time. This person was reassigned during IKE and nothing moved until this person was put back on the desk. Federal / State / County pile up's at its best.
Sooner or later you will get it. Good Luck!

txfnp01

Personally, I get what the problem is but that is the exact part that is irritating me. It does not make any sense to have one trooper handling this demand especially since there was a signifant backlog created with IKE. Surely, there are a trooper or two who would be willing to work a little OT to help catch up on the backlog. Surely, someone somewhere can come up with some solution to catch up. It seems they are waiting for people to stop applying for a CHL in order to catch up with the backlog and I see no reason that is going to happen any time soon. There has to be some person bright enough to figure out a solution. We all paid the same fee and we are working under the same statute that provides the guidelines for how this works. DPS needs to learn how to adapt and overcome.

I propose that if they do not complete the application in the time provided by the statute , the applicant should receive a refund of at least half of the fee. I bet someone would put the appropriate attention to the issue if there were $$ at stake.