1-1  By:  Armbrister                                        S.B. No. 137
    1-2        (In the Senate - Filed January 19, 1993; January 21, 1993,
    1-3  read first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs;
    1-4  February 8, 1993, reported adversely, with favorable Committee
    1-5  Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 11, Nays 1;
    1-6  February 8, 1993, sent to printer.)
    1-7                            COMMITTEE VOTE
    1-8                          Yea     Nay      PNV      Absent 
    1-9        Harris of Dallas   x                               
   1-10        Rosson             x                               
   1-11        Carriker           x                               
   1-12        Henderson                  x                       
   1-13        Leedom             x                               
   1-14        Lucio              x                               
   1-15        Luna               x                               
   1-16        Nelson             x                               
   1-17        Patterson          x                               
   1-18        Shelley            x                               
   1-19        Sibley             x                               
   1-20        West               x                               
   1-21        Whitmire                                       x   
   1-22  COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 137                    By:  Lucio
   1-23                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
   1-24                                AN ACT
   1-25  relating to the continuing education of plumbers.
   1-26        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-27        SECTION 1.  The Plumbing License Law (Article 6243-101,
   1-28  Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes) is amended by adding Section 12B to
   1-29  read as follows:
   1-30        Sec. 12B.  CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION.  (a)  A person
   1-31  holding a license under this Act must complete at least six hours
   1-32  of continuing professional education each license year.  Three of
   1-33  the six hours required must be in the subjects of health
   1-34  protection, energy conservation, and water conservation.
   1-35        (b)  The Board by rule shall adopt the criteria for
   1-36  continuing professional education acceptable under this section.
   1-37        (c)  For a person to receive credit for participation in a
   1-38  continuing professional education program or course, the program or
   1-39  course must have been provided according to the criteria adopted by
   1-40  the Board by an individual, business, or association approved by
   1-41  the Board.
   1-42        (d)  A person holding a license under this Act who lives in a
   1-43  county having no city with a population in excess of 100,000 may
   1-44  fulfill the continuing professional education requirement of this
   1-45  section through a correspondence course.
   1-46        (e)  The Board by rule may adopt exemptions from the
   1-47  requirements of this section for certain persons holding a license
   1-48  under this Act if the board finds that exempting these persons from
   1-49  the continuing education requirements of this Act is in the public
   1-50  interest.
   1-51        SECTION 2.  Subsections (b), (c), and (d), Section 12, The
   1-52  Plumbing License Law (Article 6243-101, Vernon's Texas Civil
   1-53  Statutes), are amended to read as follows:
   1-54        (b)  A person who has complied with the continuing education
   1-55  requirement of Section 12B of this Act may renew an unexpired
   1-56  license by paying the required renewal fee to the Board before the
   1-57  expiration date of the license.
   1-58        (c)  A person who has complied with the continuing education
   1-59  requirement of Section 12B of this Act and whose <if a person's>
   1-60  license has been expired for 90 days or less<, the person> may
   1-61  renew the license by paying to the Board the required renewal fee
   1-62  and a fee that is one-half of the examination fee for the license.
   1-63        (d)  A person who has complied with the continuing education
   1-64  requirement of Section 12B of this Act and whose <If a person's>
   1-65  license has been expired for longer than 90 days but less than two
   1-66  years<, the person> may renew the license by paying to the Board
   1-67  all unpaid renewal fees and a fee that is equal to the examination
   1-68  fee for the license.
    2-1        SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1993, and
    2-2  applies only to the renewal of a license after August 31, 1994.
    2-3  The renewal of a license before September 1, 1993, is governed by
    2-4  the law in effect immediately before September 1, 1993, and the
    2-5  former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
    2-6        SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-7  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-8  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-9  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-10  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   2-11  and that this Act take effect and be in force according to its
   2-12  terms, and it is so enacted.
   2-13                               * * * * *
   2-14                                                         Austin,
   2-15  Texas
   2-16                                                         February 8, 1993
   2-17  Hon. Bob Bullock
   2-18  President of the Senate
   2-19  Sir:
   2-20  We, your Committee on State Affairs to which was referred S.B. No.
   2-21  137, have had the same under consideration, and I am instructed to
   2-22  report it back to the Senate with the recommendation that it do not
   2-23  pass, but that the Committee Substitute adopted in lieu thereof do
   2-24  pass and be printed.
   2-25                                                         Harris of
   2-26  Dallas, Chairman
   2-27                               * * * * *
   2-28                               WITNESSES
   2-29                                                  FOR   AGAINST  ON
   2-30  ___________________________________________________________________
   2-31  Name:  Curtis Fuelberg                           x
   2-32  Representing:  Assoc. Plumb. Heat. &
   2-33      Cooling
   2-34  City:  Austin
   2-35  -------------------------------------------------------------------
   2-36  Name:  Thomas Combs                              x
   2-37  Representing:  Tx Plumb Heat Cool Contractor
   2-38  City:  Austin
   2-39  -------------------------------------------------------------------
   2-40  Name:  Gilbert J. Kissling                                     x
   2-41  Representing:  St. Board of Plumbing Examin
   2-42  City:  Austin
   2-43  -------------------------------------------------------------------
   2-44  Name:  Stanley Briers                                          x
   2-45  Representing:  St. Board of Plumbing Examin
   2-46  City:  Austin
   2-47  -------------------------------------------------------------------