1-1     By:  Capelo (Senate Sponsor - Shapiro)                H.B. No. 2667
 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House May 5, 1999;
 1-3     May 6, 1999, read first time and referred to Committee on Health
 1-4     Services; May 14, 1999, reported favorably by the following vote:
 1-5     Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 14, 1999, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to the regulation of industrial hygienists; providing a
 1-9     civil penalty.
1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11           SECTION 1.  Chapter 20, Title 132, Revised Statutes, is
1-12     amended by adding Article 9034 to read as follows:
1-13           Art. 9034.  INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE TITLE RECOGNITION ACT
1-14           Sec. 1.  SHORT TITLE.  This article may be cited as the
1-15     Industrial Hygiene Title Recognition Act.
1-16           Sec. 2.  PURPOSE.  The purpose of this article is to provide
1-17     legal recognition of the certification of industrial hygienists and
1-18     to provide assurance to the public that an individual  who
1-19     represents that the individual is involved in industrial hygiene
1-20     has met minimum qualifications that protect the public health and
1-21     safety.
1-22           Sec. 3.  DEFINITIONS.  In this article:
1-23                 (1)  "American Board of Industrial Hygiene" is a
1-24     nonprofit corporation established to improve the practice and
1-25     educational standards of the profession of industrial hygiene by
1-26     certifying individuals that meet the educational, experience, and
1-27     examination requirements of that board.
1-28                 (2)  "Certified industrial hygienist" or "CIH" means a
1-29     person certified by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene as a
1-30     certified industrial hygienist and whose certification has not
1-31     lapsed or been revoked.
1-32                 (3)  "Industrial hygiene certification organization"
1-33     means a nonprofit corporation established to improve the practice
1-34     and educational standards of the profession of industrial hygiene
1-35     by certifying individuals who meet its education, experience, and
1-36     examination requirements.  The organization must maintain criteria
1-37     at least as stringent as those adopted by the American Board of
1-38     Industrial Hygiene.
1-39                 (4)  "Industrial hygienist in training" or "IHIT" means
1-40     a person certified as an industrial hygienist in training by the
1-41     American Board of Industrial Hygiene and whose certification has
1-42     not lapsed or been revoked.
1-43           Sec. 4.  PROTECTION OF TITLES.  A person may not use the
1-44     title of, or represent to the public that a person is, a
1-45     "certified industrial hygienist," "CIH," or "industrial hygienist
1-46     in training," "IHIT," unless the person meets the requirements and
1-47     qualifications for that title under the definitions of this
1-48     article.
1-49           Sec. 5.  CIVIL PENALTY.  A violation of Section 4 of this
1-50     article is punishable by a civil penalty of not more than $1,000
1-51     for each violation.  The attorney general may bring an action to
1-52     collect the penalty.  A penalty collected under this subsection
1-53     shall be deposited in the general revenue fund.
1-54           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-55           SECTION 3.  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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