By:  Wentworth                                         S.B. No. 697
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the regulation of the practice of professional
 1-3     engineering.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 8, The Texas Engineering Practice Act
 1-6     (Article 3271a, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended by
 1-7     amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (e) to read as
 1-8     follows:
 1-9           (c)  The Board by rule may require [recognize, prepare, or
1-10     administer] continuing education [programs] for persons regulated
1-11     by the Board under this Act.  Rules adopted under this subsection:
1-12                 (1)  may not require a license holder to obtain more
1-13     than eight hours of continuing education in one year;
1-14                 (2)  shall permit a license holder to certify at the
1-15     time the license is renewed that the license holder has complied
1-16     with the Board's continuing education requirements; and
1-17                 (3)  shall permit a license holder to receive
1-18     continuing education credit for educational, technical, ethical, or
1-19     professional management activities related to the practice of
1-20     engineering, including:
1-21                       (A)  successfully completing or auditing a course
1-22     sponsored by a college or university;
1-23                       (B)  successfully completing a course certified
1-24     by a professional or trade organization;
1-25                       (C)  attending a seminar, tutorial, short course,
 2-1     correspondence course, videotaped course, or televised course;
 2-2                       (D)  participating in an in-house course
 2-3     sponsored by a corporation or other entity;
 2-4                       (E)  teaching a course described by Paragraphs
 2-5     (A)-(D) of this subdivision;
 2-6                       (F)  writing a published article, paper, or book;
 2-7                       (G)  making or attending a presentation at a
 2-8     meeting of a technical or engineering management society or
 2-9     organization or writing a paper presented at such a meeting;
2-10                       (H)  participating in the activities of a
2-11     professional society or association, including serving on a
2-12     committee of the organization; and
2-13                       (I)  engaging in self-directed study.
2-14     [Participation in the programs is voluntary.]
2-15           (e)  At the request of any person, the Board may review a
2-16     proposal for the procurement of services issued by a governmental
2-17     entity and issue a finding regarding whether the services are
2-18     within the scope of the practice of professional engineering for
2-19     purposes of Subchapter A, Chapter 2254, Government Code.
2-20           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.