S.B. No. 613
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to educational requirements for licensing as a
  speech-language pathologist or audiologist.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subsection (a), Section 401.304, Occupations
  Code, is amended to read as follows:
         (a)  To be eligible for licensing as a speech-language
  pathologist or audiologist, an applicant must:
               (1)  if the application is for a license in:
                     (A)  speech-language pathology, possess at least
  a master's degree with a major in at least one of the areas of
  communicative sciences or disorders from a program accredited by a
  national accrediting organization that is approved by the board and
  recognized by the United States secretary of education under the
  Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. Section 1001 et seq.) [the
  American Speech-Language-Hearing Association] in an accredited or
  approved college or university; or
                     (B)  audiology, possess at least a doctoral degree
  in audiology or a related hearing science from a program accredited
  by a national accrediting organization that is approved by the
  board and recognized by the United States secretary of education
  under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. Section 1001 et
  seq.) in an accredited or approved college or university;
               (2)  submit a transcript from a public or private
  institution of higher learning showing successful completion of
  course work in amounts set by the board in:
                     (A)  normal development and use of speech,
  language, and hearing;
                     (B)  evaluation, habilitation, and rehabilitation
  of speech, language, and hearing disorders; and
                     (C)  related fields that augment the work of
  clinical practitioners of speech-language pathology and audiology;
               (3)  have successfully completed at least 36 semester
  hours in courses that are acceptable toward a graduate degree by the
  college or university in which the courses are taken, at least 24 of
  which must be in the professional area for which the license is
  requested and at least six of which must be:
                     (A)  in audiology if the application is for a
  speech-language pathology license; or
                     (B)  in speech-language pathology if the
  application is for an audiology license;
               (4)  have completed the minimum number of hours,
  established by the board, of supervised clinical experience with
  persons who present a variety of communication disorders; and
               (5)  have completed the full-time supervised
  professional experience, as defined by board rule, in which
  clinical work has been accomplished in the major professional area
  for which the license is being sought.
         SECTION 2.  (a)  Section 401.304, Occupations Code, as
  amended by this Act, applies only to a person who applies for a
  speech-language pathologist or audiologist license on or after the
  effective date of this Act. A person who applies for a license
  before that date is governed 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)  A person who holds a license as an audiologist issued
  before the effective date of this Act may continue to renew that
  license without complying with the change in law made by this Act to
  Subsection (a), Section 401.304, Occupations Code.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2011.
 
 
 
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
         I hereby certify that S.B. No. 613 passed the Senate on
  April 21, 2011, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.
 
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate    
 
         I hereby certify that S.B. No. 613 passed the House on
  May 19, 2011, by the following vote:  Yeas 148, Nays 0, one
  present not voting.
 
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
 
 
  Approved:
 
  ______________________________ 
              Date
 
 
  ______________________________ 
            Governor