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House Bill 2911 |
House Author: Kuempel |
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Effective: 9-1-13 |
Senate Sponsor: Taylor |
House Bill 2911 amends the Occupations Code to revise certain provisions relating to the regulation of real estate inspectors. The bill sets out provisions establishing a criminal history record information requirement for an applicant for an apprentice real estate inspector license, a real estate inspector license, or a professional inspector license or renewal of such an unexpired license and provides for specified Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) requirements and authorizations related to such provisions.
House Bill 2911 increases the minimum number of classroom hours of core real estate inspection courses required for eligibility for a professional inspector license, in addition to the hours required for a real estate inspector license, and removes a provision requiring a minimum of eight classroom hours of courses related to the study of standards of practice, legal issues, or ethics relating to the practice of real estate inspection. The bill expands the eligibility requirements for an applicant for a real estate inspector license or a professional inspector license who previously held such a license to include the requirement that the applicant submit evidence satisfactory to the TREC of successful completion of not less than the number of hours of continuing education courses that would have been required for the applicant to renew the license. The bill expands the prohibitions for rules regarding the substitution of relevant experience and additional education for licensing requirements. Furthermore, the bill specifies that a person is not eligible for a real estate inspector license until the person has reimbursed the TREC in full for any amount paid on the person's behalf from the real estate recovery trust account, in addition to the real estate inspection recovery fund, plus interest at the legal rate.
House Bill 2911 sets out provisions requiring a real estate inspector to maintain certain financial responsibility. Previous law required an inspector to notify the TREC within a specified period if the inspector changed the inspector's place of business. The bill replaces that requirement with a requirement for an inspector to provide the TREC with current specified contact information and to notify the TREC of changes to that information within that same specified period.
House Bill 2911 extends the deadline for completion of the examination requirement for a real estate inspector license and revises provisions prohibiting an applicant who fails the examination three consecutive times in connection with the same application from applying for reexamination or submitting a new license application.
House Bill 2911 revises the requirement that the TREC provide notice regarding a real estate inspector license expiration, sets out a graduated renewal fee schedule for a person whose license has been expired for less than six months, and prohibits a person from renewing a license if it has been expired for six months or longer. The bill requires each applicant for the renewal of a license to disclose to the TREC whether the applicant has entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to a felony or has been convicted of a felony and the time for appeal has elapsed or the judgment or conviction has been affirmed on appeal. The bill requires such disclosure to be provided even if an order has granted community supervision suspending the imposition of the sentence.
House Bill 2911 repeals provisions relating to the methods of payment of a license fee and relating to the TREC's annual review of certain fee amounts.