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House Bill 594 |
House Author: King, Tracy O. et al. |
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Effective: 9-1-09 |
Senate Sponsor: Wentworth |
House Bill 594 amends provisions of the Occupations Code relating to the licensing and regulation of hearing instrument fitters and dispensers. The bill clarifies that a person licensed under state law as an audiologist or an audiology intern who is applying for a license under this chapter is exempt from the examination required by this chapter but must comply with all other requirements under this chapter. The bill increases from 18 to 20 the number of hours of classroom continuing education required for an apprentice permit holder under this chapter. The bill replaces provisions requiring the State Committee of Examiners in the Fitting and Dispensing of Hearing Instruments to issue a license to a license holder from another state or territory whose licensing requirements are equal to or greater than the licensing requirements of this chapter with provisions requiring the committee to require an applicant who is a license holder in another state to provide certain information relating to the applicant's standing in the other state. The bill authorizes the committee to deny an application based on the applicant's criminal history or history of disciplinary action. If the committee approves an application, the applicant may take an examination given by the committee. The committee must issue a license to the applicant if the applicant passes the examination. The bill prohibits the committee from issuing a license to an applicant who is a licensed audiologist in another state, requiring the committee to refer the applicant to the State Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology.
House Bill 594 removes the requirement that the committee issue a temporary training permit to a person who has never held a temporary training permit in Texas and authorizes the committee to issue a new temporary training permit to a person on or after the 365th day after the person's previous temporary training permit expired. The bill specifies that a supervisor of a temporary training permit holder must be licensed under this chapter or the law governing speech-language pathologists and audiologists, other than the law allowing a person to practice speech-language pathology and audiology as a licensed intern or assistant. The bill establishes that a license under this chapter is valid for two years, rather than one year. The bill clarifies that the committee is prohibited from renewing a license unless the license holder provides proof that all equipment that is used by the license holder to produce a measurement in the testing of hearing acuity has been properly calibrated or certified by a qualified technician. The bill replaces provisions requiring a license holder to provide a bill of sale with provisions requiring the owner of a hearing instrument fitting and dispensing practice to ensure that each client receives a written contract at the time of purchase containing certain information about the license holder who dispensed the hearing instrument.