BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2304

By: Guillen

Licensing & Administrative Procedures

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties note the existence of two widely accepted methods to measure the hours of training required for certain barbering and cosmetology licenses and have expressed a need to clarify whether measuring those hours by credit hours, as opposed to clock hours, meets the state eligibility standards for licensing. H.B. 2304 seeks to provide that clarification by authorizing the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation to adopt rules to authorize the use of either method to account for those hours.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation in SECTION 1 of this bill.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 2304 amends the Occupations Code to authorize the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation to adopt rules to authorize a school licensed under statutory provisions relating to  barbers and cosmetologists to account for any hours of instruction completed under those provisions on the basis of clock hours or credit hours. The bill authorizes the commission to adopt rules to establish standards for determining the equivalency and conversion of clock hours to credit hours and credit hours to clock hours.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2017.