By: Goldman H.B. No. 4416
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the regulation of auctioneers at the Texas Department
  of Licensing and Regulation.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 1802.001, Occupations Code, is amended
  by amending subdivisions (2) and (4) to read as follows:
               (2)  "Associate auctioneer" means an individual who,
  for compensation, may sell or offer to sell property at an auction
  [is employed by and] under the direct supervision of a licensed
  auctioneer [to sell or offer to sell property at an auction].
         SECTION 2.  Section 1802.051(a), Occupations Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  A person may not act as an auctioneer or associate
  auctioneer in this state unless the person holds a license issued by
  the department [executive director] under this chapter.
         SECTION 3.  Subchapter A, Chapter 1802, Occupations Code, is
  amended by adding Section 1802.005 to read as follows:
         Sec. 1802.005.  GENERAL POWERS AND DUTIES. The commission
  shall adopt rules necessary to administer and enforce this chapter.
         SECTION 4.  Section 1802.051(a) and (c), Occupations Code,
  is amended to read as follows:
         (a)  A person may not act as an auctioneer or associate
  auctioneer in this state unless the person holds a license issued by
  the department [executive director] under this chapter.
         (c)  Except as provided by Subsection (d), an individual who
  is licensed under this chapter may not act as an auctioneer or
  associate auctioneer for an entity unless the entity:
               (1)  is an auction company owned or operated by an
  individual who is licensed under this chapter; or
               (2)  is a real estate brokerage firm that is operated by
  a broker licensed by the Texas Real Estate Commission.
         SECTION 5.  Section 1802.052, Occupations Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (a)  An individual is eligible for an auctioneer's license if
  the individual:
               (1)  is at least 18 years of age;
               (2)  is a citizen of the United States or a legal alien;
               (3)  either:
                     (A)  passes a written or oral examination
  demonstrating knowledge of the auction business and of the law of
  this state relating to the auction business; or
                     (B)  shows proof of employment as a licensed
  associate auctioneer [by a licensed auctioneer] for at least two
  years and participation in at least 10 auctions during that
  employment;
               (4)  holds a high school diploma or a high school
  equivalency certificate; and
               (5)  has completed at least 80 hours of classroom
  instruction at an auction school with a curriculum approved by the
  department in accordance with the standards and procedures
  established by rule adopted under this chapter.
         (b)  The department, as provided by rule, may charge an
  auction school a reasonable fee for approving the curriculum as
  required under Subsection (a)(5) [(a)(6)].
         SECTION 6.  Section 1802.053, Occupations Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         Sec. 1802.053.  ELIGIBILITY FOR ASSOCIATE AUCTIONEER
  LICENSE. An individual is eligible for an associate auctioneer
  license if the individual is:
               (1)  a citizen of the United States or a legal alien;
  and
               (2)  works [employed] under the direct supervision of
  an auctioneer licensed under this chapter.
         SECTION 7.  Section 1802.054.  APPLICATION FOR LICENSE.  (a)  
  An applicant for a license must apply to the department [executive
  director] on a form and in a manner prescribed [provided] by the
  department [executive director that establishes the applicant's
  eligibility for the license].  The application must be accompanied
  by:
               (1)  any fee required for the auctioneer education and
  recovery fund authorized under Section 1802.153;
               (2)  the required application fee; and
               (3)  either:
                     (A)  the permit number of a sales tax permit
  issued to the applicant by the comptroller under Subchapter F,
  Chapter 151, Tax Code; or
                     (B)  proof of exemption from the tax permit
  requirement under Chapter 151, Tax Code.
         (b)  A nonresident applicant must submit with an application
  for a license under this chapter a written irrevocable consent to
  service of process.  The consent must be in the form and supported
  by additional information that the commission by rule requires.  
  The consent must:
               (1)  provide that an action relating to any transaction
  subject to this chapter may be commenced against the license holder
  in the proper court of any county of this state in which the cause of
  action may arise or in which the plaintiff may reside by service of
  process on the executive director as the license holder's agent;
  and
               (2)  include a statement stipulating and agreeing that
  service provided by this section is as valid and binding as if
  service had been made on the person according to the laws of this or
  any other state.
         SECTION 8.  Section 1802.055, Occupations Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         Sec. 1802.055.  APPLICATION FOR EXAMINATION.  An individual
  who meets the requirements [establishes that the individual is
  eligible] for an auctioneer's license may apply to the department
  [executive director] to take the license examination.  The
  application must be accompanied by the application fee.
         SECTION 9.  Section 1802.056(a), Occupations Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  The department shall prepare, recognize, administer, or
  arrange for the administration of a license examination [must be]
  designed to establish:
               (1)  an applicant's general knowledge of the auction
  business;
               (2)  the principles of conducting an auction; and
               (3)  the laws of this state relating to auctioneers.
         SECTION 10.  Section 1802.102(b), Occupations Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (b)  In appointing advisory board members [under Subsection
  (a)(1)], the presiding officer of the commission shall consider the
  geographical diversity of the members.
         SECTION 11.  Section 1802.103(a), Occupations Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  Advisory board [The] members [appointed under Section
  1802.102(a)(1)] serve six-year [two-year] terms that expire on
  September 1 of each odd-numbered year.  Members [and] may not serve
  more than two consecutive terms.  If a vacancy occurs during the
  term of such a member, the presiding officer of the commission, with
  the commission's approval, shall appoint a replacement to serve for
  the remainder of the term.
         SECTION 12.  Section 1802.106, Occupations Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         Sec. 1802.106  COMPENSATION. A member of the advisory board
  [appointed under Section 1802.102(a)(1)] may not receive
  compensation from the department for serving on the advisory board.
         SECTION 13.  Chapter 1802, Occupations Code, is amended by
  adding Subchapter C-1 and Sections 1802.1201 and 1802.1202 to read
  as follows:
  SUBCHAPTER C-1.  PRACTICE STANDARDS
         Sec. 1802.1201.  WRITTEN CONTRACTS. (a)  An auctioneer who
  agrees to provide services to a person shall provide to the person a
  written contract with the terms of the agreement.
         (b)  Each contract for the services of an auctioneer shall
  include an itemized inventory of property to be sold or offered for
  sale by the license holder at auction and any additional
  information required by the commission in rule.
         Sec. 1802.1202.  STANDARDS OF PRACTICE. The commission by
  rule shall adopt standards for the practice of auctioneers and
  associate auctioneers, including standards for:
               (1)  the maintenance and use of a trust or escrow
  account for funds belonging or owed to others; and
               (2)  required consumer notices.
         SECTION 14.  Section 1802.152(a), Occupations Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  The department is the manager of the fund and shall[:
               (1)  administer the fund without appropriation;
               (2)]  maintain books and records of the fund [as
  required by the executive director;
               (3)  appear at hearings or judicial proceedings[; and
               (4)  invest and reinvest the fund's assets as
  instructed by the executive director].
         SECTION 15.  Sections 1802.153(a) and (b), Occupations Code,
  are amended to read as follows:
         (a)  In addition to any other fees required by this chapter,
  an applicant entitled to receive a license under this chapter must
  pay a fee before the department [executive director] issues the
  license.
         (b)  If the balance in the fund on August [December] 31 of a
  year is less than $350,000, each license holder at the next license
  renewal shall pay, in addition to the renewal fee, a fee that is
  equal to the greater of $50 or a pro rata share of the amount
  necessary to obtain a balance in the fund of $350,000.
         SECTION 16.  Section 1802.155(b), Occupations Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (b)  If the fund contains insufficient assets to pay the
  consumer:
               (1)  the department shall record the time and date an
  order for payment to a consumer was received; and
               (2)  the department [executive director] shall pay
  consumers for whom an order is recorded under Subdivision (1) as
  funds become available in the order of the recorded time and date of
  the order.
         SECTION 17.  Section 1802.202(b), Occupations Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (b)  The department [executive director] may not pay a claim
  against an auctioneer who was not licensed at the time of the
  transaction on which the claim is based.
         SECTION 18.  Section 1802.203, Occupations Code, as amended
  by Chapters 816 (S.B. 279) and 1215 (S.B. 1147), Acts of the 78th
  Legislature, Regular Session, 2003, is reenacted and amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 1802.203.  HEARING. If the amount determined by the
  department under Section 1802.202 is disputed by the auctioneer [or
  the aggrieved party], the department shall refer the matter to the
  State Office of Administrative Hearings for a hearing on the
  disputed claim.
         SECTION 19.  Section 1802.205(a) and (b), Occupations Code,
  is amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 1802.205.  PAYMENT OF CLAIM. (a)  If the department's
  determination under Section 1802.202 is not disputed by the
  auctioneer [or the aggrieved party], the department [executive
  director] shall pay the claim from the fund, subject to Section
  1802.206.
         (b)  If a hearing is held on the department's determination,
  the department [executive director] shall pay to the aggrieved
  party the amount of actual damages as determined by the State Office
  of Administrative Hearings, subject to Section 1802.206 [executive
  director].
         SECTION 20.  Section 1802.206(a) and (c), Occupations Code,
  is amended to read as follows:
         (a)  The department [executive director] may not pay a single
  aggrieved party more than $15,000 for all claims arising from a
  single auction.
         (c)  The total payment of claims against a single auctioneer
  arising from a single auction may not exceed $100,000 [$30,000].
         SECTION 21.  Section 1802.207, Occupations Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         Sec. 1802.207.  REIMBURSEMENT; INTEREST.  (a)  If the
  department [executive director] pays a claim against an auctioneer,
  the auctioneer shall:
               (1)  reimburse the fund immediately or agree in writing
  to reimburse the fund on a schedule to be determined by rule of the
  commission; and
               (2)  immediately pay the aggrieved party any amount due
  to that party or agree in writing to pay the party on a schedule to
  be determined by rule of the commission.
         (b)  Payments made by an auctioneer to the fund or to an
  aggrieved party under this section include interest accruing at the
  rate of eight percent a year beginning on the date the department
  [executive director] pays the claim.
         SECTION 22.  Section 1802.208, Occupations Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         Sec. 1802.208.  SUBROGATION. If the department [executive
  director] pays a claim against an auctioneer, the department is
  subrogated to all rights of the aggrieved party against the
  auctioneer to the extent of the amount paid to the aggrieved party.
         SECTION 23.  Section 1802.251, Occupations Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         Sec. 1802.251.  DISCIPLINARY ACTION; ADMINISTRATIVE PENALTY
  [DENIAL OF APPLICATION; SUSPENSION OR REVOCATION OF LICENSE].  The
  commission or executive director may take any action or administer
  a penalty under Subchapter F or G, Chapter 51, against an [deny an
  application for a license or suspend or revoke the license of any]
  auctioneer or associate auctioneer for:
               (1)  violating this chapter or a rule adopted under
  this chapter;
               (2)  obtaining a license through false or fraudulent
  representation;
               (3)  making a substantial misrepresentation in an
  application for an auctioneer's license;
               (4)  engaging in a continued and flagrant course of
  misrepresentation or making false promises through an agent,
  advertising, or otherwise;
               (5)  failing to account for or remit, within a
  reasonable time, money or property belonging to another that is in
  the auctioneer's possession or [and] commingling funds of another
  with the auctioneer's funds or failing to keep the funds of another
  in an escrow or trust account; [or]
               (6)  violating a provision of the Business & Commerce
  Code in conducting an auction; or
               (7)  violating a rule or order of the commission or
  executive director.
         SECTION 24.  Section 1802.252(a) and (c), Occupations Code,
  is amended to read as follows:
         (a)  The commission may revoke a license issued under this
  chapter if the department [executive director] makes a payment from
  the fund as the result of an action of the license holder.
         (c)  An auctioneer or associate auctioneer is not eligible
  for a new license until the auctioneer or associate auctioneer has
  repaid in full the amount paid from the fund on the auctioneer's
  account, including interest[, unless:
               (1)  a hearing is held; and
               (2)  the executive director issues a new probated
  license].
         SECTION 25.  Section 1802.253, Occupations Code, is amended
  by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (e) to read as
  follows:
         (a)  If the department proposes to deny [Before denying] an
  application for a license or take a disciplinary action or issue an
  administrative penalty against a license holder, the applicant or
  license holder is entitled to [commission or executive director
  shall:
               (1)  set the matter for] a hearing [to be conducted by 
  the State Office of Administrative Hearings; and
               (2)  before the hearing date, notify the applicant in 
  writing of:
                     (A)  the charges alleged or the question to be
  determined at the hearing; and
                     (B)  the date and location of the hearing].
         (e)  A proceeding relating to a license denial and
  disciplinary action by the department under this chapter is a
  contested case under Chapter 2001, Government Code.
         SECTION 26.  Section 1802.301(a), Occupations Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  A person commits an offense if the person acts as an
  auctioneer or an associate auctioneer without a license.
         SECTION 27.  The following provisions of the Occupations
  Code are repealed:
               (1)  Section 1802.056(b) and (c);
               (2)  Section 1802.059;
               (3)  Section 1802.060;
               (4)  Section 1802.103(b);
               (5)  Section 1802.109;
               (6)  Section 1802.154;
               (7)  Section 1802.156;
               (8)  Section 1802.201;
               (9)  Section 1802.206(b); and
               (10)  Section 1802.303.
         SECTION 28.  (a)  The changes in law made by this Act to
  Chapter 1802, Occupations Code, do not affect the validity of a
  proceeding pending before a court or other governmental entity on
  the effective date of this Act.
         (b)  An offense or other violation committed before the
  effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the
  date the offense or violation was committed, and the former law is
  continued in effect for that purpose.  For purposes of this section,
  an offense or violation was committed before the effective date of
  this Act if any element of the offense or violation was committed
  before that date.
         SECTION 29.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.