By:  Galloway                                          S.B. No. 653
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                        AN ACT
    1-1  relating to fees paid by certain registered professional engineers.
    1-2        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-3        SECTION 1.  Subsection (d), Section 13, The Texas Engineering
    1-4  Practice Act (Article 3271a, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), as
    1-5  added by Section 1, Chapter 947, Acts of the 71st Legislature,
    1-6  Regular Session, 1989, is amended to read as follows:
    1-7        (d)  The Board by rule may adopt reduced registration and
    1-8  annual renewal fees for registered engineers who are at least 65
    1-9  years of age.
   1-10        SECTION 2.  Section 13, The Texas Engineering Practice Act
   1-11  (Article 3271a, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended by
   1-12  adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:
   1-13        (e)  The Board by rule may adopt reduced registration and
   1-14  annual renewal fees for registered engineers who are disabled and
   1-15  who are not currently engaged in the active practice of
   1-16  engineering.  For purposes of this subsection, an individual is
   1-17  disabled if the individual has a mental or physical impairment that
   1-18  substantially limits the ability of the individual to earn a living
   1-19  as a registered engineer, other than an impairment caused by a
   1-20  current condition of addiction to the use of alcohol or an illegal
   1-21  drug or controlled substance.  A registered engineer entitled to
   1-22  reduced fees under this subsection because the engineer is not
   1-23  engaged in the active practice of engineering shall notify the
   1-24  Board of the resumption of active practice not later than the 15th
    2-1  day after the engineer resumes active practice.
    2-2        SECTION 3.  Subsection (c), Section 13B, The Texas
    2-3  Engineering Practice Act (Article 3271a, Vernon's Texas Civil
    2-4  Statutes), is amended to read as follows:
    2-5        (c)  Subsection (a) does not apply to a registered
    2-6  professional engineer who:
    2-7              (1)  meets the qualifications for an exemption from
    2-8  registration under Section 20(g) or (h) of this Act but who does
    2-9  not claim that exemption; or
   2-10              (2)  is disabled for purposes of Section 13(e) of this
   2-11  Act.
   2-12        SECTION 4.  Subsection (d), Section 13, The Texas Engineering
   2-13  Practice Act (Article 3271a, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), as
   2-14  added by Section 1, Chapter 1090, Acts of the 71st Legislature,
   2-15  Regular Session, 1989, is repealed.
   2-16        SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995, and
   2-17  applies to a registration fee, annual renewal fee, or reciprocal
   2-18  registration fee paid to the State Board of Registration for
   2-19  Professional Engineers that becomes due on or after that date.   A
   2-20  fee that is collected by the board on or after that date but that
   2-21  became due before that date is governed by the law in effect on the
   2-22  date that the fee became due, and the former law is continued in
   2-23  effect for that purpose.
   2-24        SECTION 6.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-25  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-26  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-27  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    3-1  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.