1-1  By:  Galloway                                          S.B. No. 653
    1-2        (In the Senate - Filed February 20, 1995; February 21, 1995,
    1-3  read first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs;
    1-4  April 11, 1995, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 13,
    1-5  Nays 0; April 11, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-6                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-7                                AN ACT
    1-8  relating to fees paid by certain registered professional engineers.
    1-9        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-10        SECTION 1.  Subsection (d), Section 13, The Texas Engineering
   1-11  Practice Act (Article 3271a, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), as
   1-12  added by Section 1, Chapter 947, Acts of the 71st Legislature,
   1-13  Regular Session, 1989, is amended to read as follows:
   1-14        (d)  The Board by rule may adopt reduced registration and
   1-15  annual renewal fees for registered engineers who are at least 65
   1-16  years of age.
   1-17        SECTION 2.  Section 13, The Texas Engineering Practice Act
   1-18  (Article 3271a, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended by
   1-19  adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:
   1-20        (e)  The Board by rule may adopt reduced registration and
   1-21  annual renewal fees for registered engineers who are disabled and
   1-22  who are not currently engaged in the active practice of
   1-23  engineering.  For purposes of this subsection, an individual is
   1-24  disabled if the individual has a mental or physical impairment that
   1-25  substantially limits the ability of the individual to earn a living
   1-26  as a registered engineer, other than an impairment caused by a
   1-27  current condition of addiction to the use of alcohol or an illegal
   1-28  drug or controlled substance.  A registered engineer entitled to
   1-29  reduced fees under this subsection because the engineer is not
   1-30  engaged in the active practice of engineering shall notify the
   1-31  Board of the resumption of active practice not later than the 15th
   1-32  day after the engineer resumes active practice.
   1-33        SECTION 3.  Subsection (c), Section 13B, The Texas
   1-34  Engineering Practice Act (Article 3271a, Vernon's Texas Civil
   1-35  Statutes), is amended to read as follows:
   1-36        (c)  Subsection (a) does not apply to a registered
   1-37  professional engineer who:
   1-38              (1)  meets the qualifications for an exemption from
   1-39  registration under Section 20(g) or (h) of this Act but who does
   1-40  not claim that exemption; or
   1-41              (2)  is disabled for purposes of Section 13(e) of this
   1-42  Act.
   1-43        SECTION 4.  Subsection (d), Section 13, The Texas Engineering
   1-44  Practice Act (Article 3271a, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), as
   1-45  added by Section 1, Chapter 1090, Acts of the 71st Legislature,
   1-46  Regular Session, 1989, is repealed.
   1-47        SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995, and
   1-48  applies to a registration fee, annual renewal fee, or reciprocal
   1-49  registration fee paid to the State Board of Registration for
   1-50  Professional Engineers that becomes due on or after that date.   A
   1-51  fee that is collected by the board on or after that date but that
   1-52  became due before that date is governed by the law in effect on the
   1-53  date that the fee became due, and the former law is continued in
   1-54  effect for that purpose.
   1-55        SECTION 6.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-56  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-57  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-58  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-59  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
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