By Haggerty H.B. No. 1544
76R5521 SMH-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the registration of certain entities that engage in the
1-3 practice of professional engineering.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Section 13(b), The Texas Engineering Practice Act
1-6 (Article 3271a, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended to read
1-7 as follows:
1-8 (b) The Board shall establish reasonable and necessary fees
1-9 for the administration of this Act in amounts not to exceed:
1-10 1. License fee ............................... $50
1-11 2. Annual renewal fee ......................... 75
1-12 3. Reciprocal license fee ..................... 50
1-13 4. Duplicate license ........................... 5
1-14 5. Engineer-in-training certificate ........... 15
1-15 6. Roster of engineers ........................ 10
1-16 7. Examination fee ........................... 120
1-17 8. Registration fee for engineering firm ..... 100
1-18 SECTION 2. Sections 16.1 and 17, The Texas Engineering
1-19 Practice Act (Article 3271a, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), are
1-20 amended to read as follows:
1-21 Sec. 16.1. EXPIRATION DATES OF LICENSES AND REGISTRATIONS.
1-22 The board by rule may adopt a system under which licenses and
1-23 registrations expire on various dates during the year, and the
1-24 dates for reinstatement shall be adjusted accordingly.
2-1 Sec. 17. FIRMS, PARTNERSHIPS, CORPORATIONS AND JOINT STOCK
2-2 ASSOCIATIONS. (a) A firm, [or a] co-partnership, [or a]
2-3 corporation, or [a] joint stock association may engage in the
2-4 practice of professional engineering in this State, provided:
2-5 (1) the entity is registered with the Board; and
2-6 (2) such practice is carried on by only professional
2-7 engineers licensed in this State.
2-8 (b) To be registered under this section, an entity must file
2-9 an application with the Board on a form provided by the Board. The
2-10 application must list the name of each:
2-11 (1) officer or director of the entity; and
2-12 (2) person licensed to practice engineering who
2-13 engages in the practice of engineering on behalf of the entity.
2-14 (c) The registration of an entity issued under this section
2-15 expires on the first anniversary of the date of issuance.
2-16 SECTION 3. Section 18(a), The Texas Engineering Practice Act
2-17 (Article 3271a, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended to read
2-18 as follows:
2-19 (a) No firm, partnership, association, corporation or other
2-20 business entity shall hold itself out to the public or any member
2-21 thereof as being engaged in the practice of engineering under any
2-22 assumed, trade, business, partnership or corporate name or employ,
2-23 use, cause to be used or make use of in any manner whatsoever any
2-24 such words or terms as "engineer," "engineering," "engineering
2-25 services," "engineering company," "engineering, inc.,"
2-26 "professional engineers," "licensed engineer," "registered
2-27 engineer," "licensed professional engineer," "registered
3-1 professional engineer," "engineered," or any combinations,
3-2 abbreviations or variations thereof, or in combination with any
3-3 other words, letters, initials, signs or symbols on, in or as a
3-4 part of, directly or indirectly, any sign, directory, listing,
3-5 contract, document, pamphlet, stationery, letterhead,
3-6 advertisement, signature, trade name, assumed name, corporate or
3-7 other business name unless such firm, partnership, association,
3-8 corporation or other business entity is registered under Section 17
3-9 of this Act and is actually and actively engaged in the practice of
3-10 engineering or offering engineering services to the public, and any
3-11 and all services, work, acts or things performed or done by it
3-12 which constitute any part of the practice of engineering are either
3-13 personally performed or done by a licensed engineer or under the
3-14 direct supervision of a licensed engineer who is a regular
3-15 full-time employee of the firm, partnership, association,
3-16 corporation, or other business entity.
3-17 SECTION 4. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (c) of this
3-18 section, this Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
3-19 (b) The Texas Board of Professional Engineers shall adopt
3-20 rules providing for the registration of engineering entities not
3-21 later than November 1, 1999.
3-22 (c) Sections 17 and 18, The Texas Engineering Practice Act
3-23 (Article 3271a, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), as amended by this
3-24 Act, take effect January 1, 2000.
3-25 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the
3-26 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-27 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
4-1 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
4-2 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.