1-1     By:  Wentworth                                         S.B. No. 697
 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed February 14, 2001; February 15, 2001,
 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on Business and Commerce;
 1-4     March 15, 2001, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 5,
 1-5     Nays 0; March 15, 2001, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to the regulation of the practice of professional
 1-9     engineering.
1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11           SECTION 1.  Section 8, The Texas Engineering Practice Act
1-12     (Article 3271a, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended by
1-13     amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (e) to read as
1-14     follows:
1-15           (c)  The Board by rule may require [recognize, prepare, or
1-16     administer] continuing education [programs] for persons regulated
1-17     by the Board under this Act.  Rules adopted under this subsection:
1-18                 (1)  may not require a license holder to obtain more
1-19     than eight hours of continuing education in one year;
1-20                 (2)  shall permit a license holder to certify at the
1-21     time the license is renewed that the license holder has complied
1-22     with the Board's continuing education requirements; and
1-23                 (3)  shall permit a license holder to receive
1-24     continuing education credit for educational, technical, ethical, or
1-25     professional management activities related to the practice of
1-26     engineering, including:
1-27                       (A)  successfully completing or auditing a course
1-28     sponsored by a college or university;
1-29                       (B)  successfully completing a course certified
1-30     by a professional or trade organization;
1-31                       (C)  attending a seminar, tutorial, short course,
1-32     correspondence course, videotaped course, or televised course;
1-33                       (D)  participating in an in-house course
1-34     sponsored by a corporation or other entity;
1-35                       (E)  teaching a course described by Paragraphs
1-36     (A)-(D) of this subdivision;
1-37                       (F)  writing a published article, paper, or book;
1-38                       (G)  making or attending a presentation at a
1-39     meeting of a technical or engineering management society or
1-40     organization or writing a paper presented at such a meeting;
1-41                       (H)  participating in the activities of a
1-42     professional society or association, including serving on a
1-43     committee of the organization; and
1-44                       (I)  engaging in self-directed study.
1-45     [Participation in the programs is voluntary.]
1-46           (e)  At the request of any person, the Board may review a
1-47     proposal for the procurement of services issued by a governmental
1-48     entity and issue a finding regarding whether the services are
1-49     within the scope of the practice of professional engineering for
1-50     purposes of Subchapter A, Chapter 2254, Government Code.
1-51           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
1-52                                  * * * * *