By Munoz                                              H.B. No. 2784
       74R8007 JMM-F
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the regulation of the practice of engineering by
    1-3  certain entities.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  The Texas Engineering Practice Act (Article
    1-6  3271a, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended by adding Section
    1-7  17A to read as follows:
    1-8        Sec. 17A.  PRACTICE BY CERTAIN ENTITIES.  (a)  The Board may
    1-9  not consider a firm, partnership, association, corporation, or
   1-10  other business entity to be in compliance with Section 17 or 18 of
   1-11  this Act unless a registered engineer is associated with the entity
   1-12  as:
   1-13              (1)  a principal if the entity is a firm; or
   1-14              (2)  an executive officer if the entity is a
   1-15  corporation.
   1-16        (b)  An individual is considered to be associated with an
   1-17  entity for the purposes of Subsection (a) of this section only if
   1-18  the individual is entrusted with authority by the governing body of
   1-19  the entity to the extent that the entity is legally liable for all
   1-20  of the individual's professional acts and judgments as a registered
   1-21  engineer.
   1-22        (c)  The Board may not adopt or enforce a rule that is
   1-23  inconsistent with this section.
   1-24        SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-1  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-2  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-3  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    2-4  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
    2-5  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
    2-6  passage, and it is so enacted.