S.B. No. 613
AN ACT
relating to educational requirements for licensing as a
speech-language pathologist or audiologist.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subsection (a), Section 401.304, 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 that is approved by the board and
recognized by the United States secretary of education under the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. Section 1001 et seq.) [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 or a related hearing science from a program accredited
by a national accrediting organization that is approved by the
board and recognized by the United States secretary of education
under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. Section 1001 et
seq.) 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. (a) 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.
(b) A person who holds a license as an audiologist issued
before the effective date of this Act may continue to renew that
license without complying with the change in law made by this Act to
Subsection (a), Section 401.304, Occupations Code.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011.
______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 613 passed the Senate on
April 21, 2011, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 613 passed the House on
May 19, 2011, by the following vote: Yeas 148, Nays 0, one
present not voting.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
Approved:
______________________________
Date
______________________________
Governor