S76 pilot reported ATC had improperly withheld issuing IFR clearances.

Attributes
ACN	1581051
Time
Date	201807
Place
Locale Reference	ZHU.ARTCC
State Reference	TX
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	S-76/S-76 Mark II
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 135
Flight Phase	Initial Climb
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Function	Captain
Qualification	Air Traffic Control Fully Certified Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Multiengine
Experience	Air Traffic Control Non Radar 4 Air Traffic Control Radar 5 Flight Crew Last 90 Days 225 Flight Crew Total 18000 Flight Crew Type 5000
Events
Anomaly	ATC Issue All Types Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy Deviation - Procedural FAR Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence

Narrative:

Normal gulf of mexico IFR operation. There [are] one or two controllers at the helicopter sector who do not understand the procedures on issuing an IFR clearance to an aircraft in uncontrolled airspace. I know that at least one controller will deliberately withhold a clearance because the aircraft cannot climb VFR. I have been a controller and I can listen and hear that the reasons given for not issuing a clearance were false. This particular controller will ask if the aircraft can climb VFR. If the answer is negative he will not issue a clearance. This controller and maybe others on that sector need training on where their responsibility ends and begins. Their responsibility does not include the aircraft's flight conditions. Deliberately withholding a clearance in adverse weather is not acceptable for conditions of flight and it can cause problems for the aircraft.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: S76 pilot reported ATC had improperly withheld issuing IFR clearances.

Narrative: Normal Gulf of Mexico IFR operation. There [are] one or two controllers at the helicopter sector who do not understand the procedures on issuing an IFR clearance to an aircraft in uncontrolled airspace. I know that at least one controller will deliberately withhold a clearance because the aircraft cannot climb VFR. I have been a controller and I can listen and hear that the reasons given for not issuing a clearance were false. This particular controller will ask if the aircraft can climb VFR. If the answer is negative he will not issue a clearance. This controller and maybe others on that sector need training on where their responsibility ends and begins. Their responsibility does not include the aircraft's flight conditions. Deliberately withholding a clearance in adverse weather is not acceptable for conditions of flight and it can cause problems for the aircraft.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.