Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1650 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		87R3931 JCG-F
2		-	By: Schaefer, Oliverson, Bell of Montgomery, H.B. No. 1650
3		-	Guillen, Buckley, et al.
	2	+	By: Schaefer H.B. No. 1650
4	3
5	4
6	5		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
7	6		AN ACT
8	7		relating to the regulation of plumbing, including the requirements
9	8		to obtain a tradesman plumber-limited license.
10	9		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	10		SECTION 1. Section 1301.002(10), Occupations Code, is
12	11		amended to read as follows:
13	12		(10) "Tradesman plumber-limited license holder" means
14	13		a person who:
15	14		(A) has:
16	15		(i) completed at least 4,000 hours working
17	16		under the direct supervision of a journeyman or master plumber as a
18	17		plumber's apprentice; or
19	18		(ii) successfully completed a coherent
20	19		sequence of courses in the plumbing trade that are offered through a
21	20		career and technology education program, as described by Section
22	21		1301.3542;
23	22		(B) has passed the required examination;
24	23		(C) constructs and installs plumbing for
25	24		one-family or two-family dwellings under the supervision of a
26	25		responsible master plumber; and
27	26		(D) has fulfilled the other requirements of the
28	27		board.
29	28		SECTION 2. Subchapter G, Chapter 1301, Occupations Code, is
30	29		amended by adding Section 1301.3542 to read as follows:
31	30		Sec. 1301.3542. CAREER AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR
32	31		TRADESMAN PLUMBER-LIMITED LICENSE; INSTRUCTORS. (a)
33	32		Notwithstanding Section 1301.354, a person who successfully
34	33		completes a coherent sequence of courses in the plumbing trade that
35	34		are offered through a career and technology education program under
36	35		Subchapter F, Chapter 29, Education Code, may apply for and take an
37	36		examination for a license as a tradesman plumber-limited license
38	37		holder. The board may not require the person to register as a
39	38		plumber's apprentice, pay any fee, or comply with Section 1301.354
40	39		or any other requirement of this chapter that applies to a person's
41	40		eligibility to apply for and take the examination.
42	41		(b) A student of any age enrolled in a high school is
43	42		eligible to take the sequence of courses described by Subsection
44	43		(a) without registering as a plumber's apprentice, paying any
45	44		registration fee, or complying with Section 1301.354 or any other
46	45		requirement of this chapter that applies to enrolling or
47	46		participating in those courses.
48	47		(c) If an applicant described by Subsection (a)
49	48		successfully passes the examination for a license as a tradesman
50	49		plumber-limited license holder, the board shall issue the applicant
51	50		the license.
52	51		(d) The board shall develop the courses described by
53	52		Subsection (a). The courses must be approved by the State Board of
54	53		Education.
55	54		(e) The courses must include an appropriate number of hours
56	55		of classroom instruction and a practical component. The board may
57	56		credit on-the-job training toward meeting the requirements under
58	57		the practical component.
59	58		(f) A person may not provide instruction in a career and
60	59		technology education program described by this section unless the
61	60		person is licensed under this chapter as a master plumber,
62	61		journeyman plumber, or plumbing inspector.
63	62		(g) A person described by Subsection (f) may provide the
64	63		instruction in a full-time or part-time capacity as an employee,
65	64		contractor, or volunteer of a high school.
66	65		(h) The board may adopt rules necessary to implement this
67	66		section, including procedures to verify a student's successful
68	67		completion of the sequence of courses described by Subsection (a).
69	68		SECTION 3. Section 1301.401, Occupations Code, is amended
70	69		to read as follows:
71	70		Sec. 1301.401. ANNUAL RENEWAL REQUIRED; EXCEPTION. (a) A
72	71		license or registration under this chapter is valid for one year.
73	72		Except as provided by Subsection (c), on [On] payment of the
74	73		required fee, a license may be renewed annually.
75	74		(b) The board by rule may adopt a system under which
76	75		licenses, endorsements, and registrations expire on various dates
77	76		during the year.
78	77		(c) A person who is employed by, under contract with, or
79	78		engaged as a volunteer by a school to provide instruction in a
80	79		career and technology education program described by Section
81	80		1301.3542 and provides meaningful course instruction in the
82	81		program, as determined under rules adopted under Section 1301.407,
83	82		is not required to pay a fee to renew the person's license.
84	83		SECTION 4. Section 1301.404, Occupations Code, is amended
85	84		by adding Subsection (g) to read as follows:
86	85		(g) A person who is employed by, under contract with, or
87	86		engaged as a volunteer by a school to provide instruction in a
88	87		career and technology education program described by Section
89	88		1301.3542 and provides meaningful course instruction in the
90	89		program, as determined under rules adopted under Section 1301.407,
91	90		may renew the person's license and any endorsement without
92	91		complying with Subsection (b) if the person completes the hours of
93	92		continuing professional education required by that subsection
94	93		every three years.
95	94		SECTION 5. Subchapter H, Chapter 1301, Occupations Code, is
96	95		amended by adding Section 1301.407 to read as follows:
97	96		Sec. 1301.407. PROCEDURES FOR VERIFYING CERTAIN
98	97		EXEMPTIONS. The board, in consultation with the State Board of
99	98		Education, may adopt rules as necessary to verify whether a person
100	99		qualifies for an exemption from the required renewal fee, as
101	100		described by Section 1301.401(c), or an exemption from required
102	101		continuing professional education, as described by Section
103	102		1301.404(g), including rules providing for obtaining and
104	103		evaluating written verification from the applicable school of the
105	104		person's provision of meaningful course instruction in a career and
106	105		technology education program described by Section 1301.3542.
107	106		SECTION 6. Notwithstanding Section 1301.003, Occupations
108	107		Code, it is the intent of the legislature in enacting this Act to
109	108		amend Chapter 1301, Occupations Code, as that chapter was continued
110	109		in existence by Executive Order No. GA-06.
111	110		SECTION 7. As soon as practicable after the effective date
112	111		of this Act, the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners shall adopt
113	112		rules necessary to implement the changes in law made by this Act to
114	113		Chapter 1301, Occupations Code.
115	114		SECTION 8. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.