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        |  | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED | 
      
        |  | AN ACT | 
      
        |  | relating to the training and certification of state agency | 
      
        |  | employees or contractors performing service work on pressure | 
      
        |  | vessels. | 
      
        |  | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | 
      
        |  | SECTION 1.  Subtitle A, Title 9, Health and Safety Code, is | 
      
        |  | amended by adding Chapter 761 to read as follows: | 
      
        |  | CHAPTER 761. PRESSURE VESSELS | 
      
        |  | Sec. 761.001.  DEFINITIONS.  In this chapter: | 
      
        |  | (1)  "Pressure vessel" means an autoclave, sterilizer, | 
      
        |  | laboratory washer, or other strong, steam-heated vessel able to | 
      
        |  | withstand high temperatures and pressures that is used for | 
      
        |  | laboratory experiments or sterilization of tools, instruments, | 
      
        |  | equipment, or culture media. | 
      
        |  | (2)  "State agency" means: | 
      
        |  | (A)  a board, commission, department, office, or | 
      
        |  | other agency that is in the executive branch of state government and | 
      
        |  | that was created by the Texas Constitution or a state statute and | 
      
        |  | includes an institution of higher education as defined by Section | 
      
        |  | 61.003, Education Code; | 
      
        |  | (B)  the legislature or a legislative agency; and | 
      
        |  | (C)  the supreme court, the court of criminal | 
      
        |  | appeals, a court of appeals, the State Bar of Texas, or another | 
      
        |  | state judicial agency. | 
      
        |  | Sec. 761.002.  TRAINING AND CERTIFICATE REQUIRED.  (a)  An | 
      
        |  | employee or independent contractor of a state agency or of a person | 
      
        |  | who has contracted with a state agency to perform pressure vessel | 
      
        |  | service work may not perform service work on a pressure vessel owned | 
      
        |  | or used by the agency unless: | 
      
        |  | (1)  the individual performing the service work is | 
      
        |  | trained and certified to perform service work on the type of | 
      
        |  | pressure vessel owned or used by the agency; and | 
      
        |  | (2)  the individual provides to the agency a copy of the | 
      
        |  | certificate authorizing the individual to perform service work on | 
      
        |  | the type of pressure vessel owned or used by the agency. | 
      
        |  | (b)  An individual for whom training and certification are | 
      
        |  | required under Subsection (a)(1) may obtain the training and | 
      
        |  | certification from: | 
      
        |  | (1)  the manufacturer of the pressure vessel owned or | 
      
        |  | used by the state agency; | 
      
        |  | (2)  a manufacturer of a pressure vessel that is | 
      
        |  | similar to the type of pressure vessel owned or used by the agency, | 
      
        |  | as determined by the agency; or | 
      
        |  | (3)  an accredited pressure vessel training school | 
      
        |  | approved by the agency. | 
      
        |  | Sec. 761.003.  STATE AGENCY RECORDS.  A state agency that has | 
      
        |  | an employee or independent contractor of the agency perform service | 
      
        |  | work on a pressure vessel owned or used by the agency or that | 
      
        |  | contracts with a person for the performance of service work on the | 
      
        |  | pressure vessel shall retain in its records each certificate copy | 
      
        |  | received by the agency under Section 762.002(a)(2) until the agency | 
      
        |  | disposes of the pressure vessel. | 
      
        |  | SECTION 2.  Notwithstanding Chapter 761, Health and Safety | 
      
        |  | Code, as added by this Act, an individual is not required to be | 
      
        |  | trained and certified as required by that chapter and a state agency | 
      
        |  | is not required to retain a copy of the certificate required by that | 
      
        |  | chapter until October 1, 2011. | 
      
        |  | SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |