BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1894

By: Goldman

Licensing & Administrative Procedures

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Concerns have been raised that interior designers who choose not to voluntarily register with the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners may still be subject to penalties related to their practice of interior design, including a criminal penalty if they misrepresent themselves as a registered interior designer. H.B. 1894 seeks to address these concerns by eliminating a criminal penalty for certain interior design violations and by prohibiting the board from imposing an administrative penalty on an unregistered interior designer.

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 this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 1894 amends the Occupations Code to prohibit the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners from imposing an administrative penalty on a person for conduct related to the practice of interior design unless the person holds a certificate of registration as an interior designer.

H.B. 1894 repeals Subchapter H, Chapter 1053, Occupations Code, which makes it a Class C misdemeanor offense for a person to knowingly violate a statutory provision prohibiting a person other than an interior designer from representing that the person is a registered interior designer or to knowingly violate a standard of conduct adopted under statutory provisions relating to interior designers.    

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.