82R5660 MAW-D
By: Alvarado H.B. No. 2304
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to educational requirements for licensing as a
speech-language pathologist or audiologist and to reciprocity for
audiologists licensed in other states.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 401.304(a), 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 approved by the board [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 from a program accredited by a national accrediting
organization approved by the board 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. Subchapter G, Chapter 401, Occupations Code, is
amended by adding Section 401.3081 to read as follows:
Sec. 401.3081. AUDIOLOGIST LICENSED IN ANOTHER
JURISDICTION. (a) The board may waive any prerequisite to
obtaining a license for an applicant for licensing as an
audiologist after reviewing the applicant's credentials and
determining that the applicant holds a license issued by another
jurisdiction that has licensing requirements substantially
equivalent to those of this state.
(b) The board may waive any prerequisite to obtaining a
license for an applicant for licensing as an audiologist who holds a
license issued by another jurisdiction with which this state has a
reciprocity agreement. The board may make an agreement, subject to
the approval of the governor, with another state to allow for
licensing by reciprocity.
SECTION 3. 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.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011.