1-1     By:  Barrientos, Moncrief                             S.B. No. 1353
 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed March 11, 1999; March 15, 1999, read
 1-3     first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs; May 5, 1999,
 1-4     reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the
 1-5     following vote:  Yeas 6, Nays 1; May 5, 1999, sent to printer.)
 1-6     COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1353                 By:  Bernsen
 1-7                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-8                                   AN ACT
 1-9     relating to the regulation of the practice of software engineering.
1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11           SECTION 1.  The Texas Engineering Practice Act (Article
1-12     3271a, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes) is amended by adding Section
1-13     12.2 to read as follows:
1-14           Sec. 12.2.  REGULATION OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERING.  (a)  The
1-15     board shall form an advisory committee consisting of persons
1-16     knowledgeable in software engineering, computer science, consulting
1-17     engineering, and others.  The committee shall:
1-18                 (1)  review the rationale for licensing software
1-19     engineers;
1-20                 (2)  develop a definition of software engineering that
1-21     ensures the protection of public health and safety;
1-22                 (3)  consider the status and availability of a
1-23     licensing examination for software engineers and the merits of
1-24     licensing software engineers without an examination; and
1-25                 (4)  consider other issues relevant to the licensing of
1-26     software engineers.
1-27           (b)  Until implementation of the recommendations of the
1-28     advisory committee, the board may not issue a license for software
1-29     engineering as a separate discipline within the practice of
1-30     engineering.
1-31           (c)  A person who has completed a program certifying that
1-32     person as having expertise with regard to the software of a
1-33     particular software manufacturer may hold that certification forth
1-34     to the public, provided that any use of the term engineer is
1-35     accompanied by a disclaimer of equal or greater emphasis that
1-36     establishes that a person is not licensed by the Texas Board of
1-37     Professional Engineers.
1-38           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-39           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-40     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-41     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-42     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-43     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
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