BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center C.S.H.B. 3114
81R6181 NC-D By: Flores (Watson)
Committee Report (Substituted)
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
In Texas, professional licensees are required to complete continuing education courses as a condition for license renewal. Under current law, registered professional land surveyors must complete eight hours of professional development courses annually as a condition for renewal of a certificate of registration. However, the continuing education requirement for surveyors in other states is generally higher, often 15-30 hours annually. By increasing the required hours of professional development courses, the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying (board) could require a portion of those courses to be in areas the board sees as the cause for the most complaint actions, including minimum technical standards, ethics, and jurisprudence.
C.S.H.B. 3114 amends current law relating to continuing professional education requirements for land surveyors.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
Rulemaking authority previously granted to the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying is modified in SECTION 1 (Section 1071.305, Occupations Code) of this bill.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 1071.305(a), Occupations Code, to require that the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying's (board) rules provide that the continuing professional education requirement may be met by completing annually not more than 16 hours, rather than not more than eight hours, a calendar day, of professional development courses or programs.
SECTION 2. (a) Provides that the change in law made by this Act to Section 1071.305, Occupations Code, applies only to a certificate of registration under Chapter 1071 (Land Surveyors), Occupations Code, that expires on or after January 1, 2010. Provides that a certificate of registration that expires before January 1, 2010, is covered by the law in effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
(b) Requires the board to adopt rules under Section 1071.305, Occupations Code, as amended by this Act, not later than November 1, 2009.
SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 2009.