By:  Barrientos, Moncrief                             S.B. No. 1353
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                       AN ACT
 1-1     relating to the regulation of the practice of software engineering.
 1-2           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-3           SECTION 1.  The Texas Engineering Practice Act (Article
 1-4     3271a, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes) is amended by adding Section
 1-5     12.2 to read as follows:
 1-6           Sec. 12.2.  REGULATION OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERING.  (a)  The
 1-7     board shall form an advisory committee consisting of persons
 1-8     knowledgeable in software engineering, computer science, consulting
 1-9     engineering, and others.  The committee shall:
1-10                 (1)  review the rationale for licensing software
1-11     engineers;
1-12                 (2)  develop a definition of software engineering that
1-13     ensures the protection of public health and safety;
1-14                 (3)  consider the status and availability of a
1-15     licensing examination for software engineers and the merits of
1-16     licensing software engineers without an examination; and
1-17                 (4)  consider other issues relevant to the licensing of
1-18     software engineers.
1-19           (b)  Until implementation of the recommendations of the
1-20     advisory committee, the board may not issue a license for software
1-21     engineering as a separate discipline within the practice of
1-22     engineering.
1-23           (c)  A person who has completed a program certifying that
1-24     person as having expertise with regard to the software of a
 2-1     particular software manufacturer may hold that certification forth
 2-2     to the public, provided that any use of the term engineer is
 2-3     accompanied by a disclaimer of equal or greater emphasis that
 2-4     establishes that the person is not licensed by the Texas Board of
 2-5     Professional Engineers.
 2-6           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
 2-7           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
 2-8     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 2-9     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-10     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-11     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.