1-1     By:  Maxey (Senate Sponsor - Moncrief)                H.B. No. 1145
 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House March 29, 1999;
 1-3     March 30, 1999, read first time and referred to Committee on Human
 1-4     Services; May 6, 1999, reported favorably by the following vote:
 1-5     Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 6, 1999, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to the continuing education requirements for a licensed
 1-9     chemical dependency counselor.
1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11           SECTION 1.  Section 15, Chapter 635, Acts of the 72nd
1-12     Legislature, Regular Session, 1991 (Article 4512o, Vernon's Texas
1-13     Civil Statutes), is amended to read as follows:
1-14           Sec. 15.  CONTINUING EDUCATION.  (a)  The commission shall
1-15     recognize, prepare, or administer continuing education programs for
1-16     licensed chemical dependency counselors.  Participation in the
1-17     programs is mandatory for licensure.
1-18           (b)  Except as provided by Subsection (c) of this section, a
1-19     [A] person licensed under this Act must complete at least 60 hours
1-20     of continuing education in each two-year period in which the person
1-21     holds a license as a requirement for the renewal of the license.
1-22           (c)  A person licensed under this Act to whom this subsection
1-23     applies must complete at least 24 hours of continuing education in
1-24     each two-year period in which the person holds a license as a
1-25     requirement for the renewal of the license.  This subsection
1-26     applies only to a license holder who is also licensed as:
1-27                 (1)  a licensed master social worker, as defined by
1-28     Section 50.001, Human Resources Code;
1-29                 (2)  a licensed marriage and family therapist, as
1-30     defined by Section 2, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Act
1-31     (Article 4512c-1, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes);
1-32                 (3)  a licensed professional counselor, as defined by
1-33     Section 2, Licensed Professional Counselor Act (Article 4512g,
1-34     Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes);
1-35                 (4)  a physician who is practicing medicine, as defined
1-36     by Section 1.03, Medical Practice Act (Article 4495b, Vernon's
1-37     Texas Civil Statutes); or
1-38                 (5)  a psychologist, as defined by Section 2,
1-39     Psychologists' Licensing Act (Article 4512c, Vernon's Texas Civil
1-40     Statutes).
1-41           (d)  The commission shall provide by rule for the
1-42     administration of the continuing education requirements for license
1-43     renewal under this Act.  Except for the number of hours required,
1-44     the commission may not adopt a rule that distinguishes between the
1-45     continuing education requirements required for a license holder
1-46     subject to Subsection (b) of this section and a license holder
1-47     subject to Subsection (c) of this section.
1-48           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999, and
1-49     applies only to a license to practice as a chemical dependency
1-50     counselor that is renewed on or after that date.
1-51           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-52     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-53     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-54     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-55     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
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