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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to educational requirements for licensing as a |
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speech-language pathologist or audiologist. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subsection (a), Section 401.304, Occupations |
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Code, is amended to read as follows: |
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(a) To be eligible for licensing as a speech-language |
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pathologist or audiologist, an applicant must: |
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(1) if the application is for a license in: |
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(A) speech-language pathology, possess at least |
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a master's degree with a major in at least one of the areas of |
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communicative sciences or disorders from a program accredited by a |
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national accrediting organization that is approved by the board and |
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recognized by the United States secretary of education under the |
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Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. Section 1001 et seq.) [the
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American Speech-Language-Hearing Association] in an accredited or |
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approved college or university; or |
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(B) audiology, possess at least a doctoral degree |
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in audiology or a related hearing science from a program accredited |
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by a national accrediting organization that is approved by the |
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board and recognized by the United States secretary of education |
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under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. Section 1001 et |
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seq.) in an accredited or approved college or university; |
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(2) submit a transcript from a public or private |
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institution of higher learning showing successful completion of |
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course work in amounts set by the board in: |
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(A) normal development and use of speech, |
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language, and hearing; |
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(B) evaluation, habilitation, and rehabilitation |
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of speech, language, and hearing disorders; and |
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(C) related fields that augment the work of |
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clinical practitioners of speech-language pathology and audiology; |
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(3) have successfully completed at least 36 semester |
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hours in courses that are acceptable toward a graduate degree by the |
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college or university in which the courses are taken, at least 24 of |
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which must be in the professional area for which the license is |
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requested and at least six of which must be: |
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(A) in audiology if the application is for a |
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speech-language pathology license; or |
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(B) in speech-language pathology if the |
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application is for an audiology license; |
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(4) have completed the minimum number of hours, |
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established by the board, of supervised clinical experience with |
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persons who present a variety of communication disorders; and |
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(5) have completed the full-time supervised |
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professional experience, as defined by board rule, in which |
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clinical work has been accomplished in the major professional area |
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for which the license is being sought. |
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SECTION 2. (a) Section 401.304, Occupations Code, as |
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amended by this Act, applies only to a person who applies for a |
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speech-language pathologist or audiologist license on or after the |
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effective date of this Act. A person who applies for a license |
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before that date is governed by the law in effect immediately before |
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the effective date of this Act, and the former law is continued in |
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effect for that purpose. |
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(b) A person who holds a license as an audiologist issued |
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before the effective date of this Act may continue to renew that |
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license without complying with the change in law made by this Act to |
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Subsection (a), Section 401.304, Occupations Code. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |