| 1 | 1 | | 87R4466 JES-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Paxton S.B. No. 1770 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the use of certain titles by a structural engineer. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter G, Chapter 1001, Occupations Code, is |
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| 10 | 10 | | amended by adding Section 1001.3085 to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | Sec. 1001.3085. REGISTERED STRUCTURAL ENGINEER; USE OF |
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| 12 | 12 | | TITLE. (a) In this section, "NCEES" means the National Council of |
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| 13 | 13 | | Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. |
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| 14 | 14 | | (b) The board shall authorize an engineer to use the title |
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| 15 | 15 | | "registered structural engineer" if the engineer submits evidence |
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| 16 | 16 | | satisfactory to the board showing that the engineer has passed: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (1) 16 hours of NCEES structural engineering |
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| 18 | 18 | | examinations, eight hours of which are the Structural II |
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| 19 | 19 | | examination taken before January 1, 2011; |
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| 20 | 20 | | (2) 16 hours of state structural engineering |
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| 21 | 21 | | examinations taken before 2004; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (3) the NCEES Structural II examination and an |
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| 23 | 23 | | eight-hour state structural engineering examination, each taken |
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| 24 | 24 | | before January 1, 2011; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (4) the 16-hour NCEES structural engineering |
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| 26 | 26 | | examination taken after January 1, 2011; or |
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| 27 | 27 | | (5) another 16-hour structural engineering |
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| 28 | 28 | | examination or a combination of structural engineering |
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| 29 | 29 | | examinations totaling 16 hours that is substantially equivalent to |
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| 30 | 30 | | the 16-hour NCEES structural engineering examination, as |
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| 31 | 31 | | determined by the board. |
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| 32 | 32 | | (c) A person may not use the title "registered structural |
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| 33 | 33 | | engineer" unless the person obtains authorization from the board in |
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| 34 | 34 | | accordance with this section. |
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| 35 | 35 | | (d) Notwithstanding Section 1001.401(a), an engineer who is |
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| 36 | 36 | | authorized under this section may: |
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| 37 | 37 | | (1) obtain a seal in a design authorized by the board, |
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| 38 | 38 | | showing the engineer's name and the legend "Registered Structural |
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| 39 | 39 | | Engineer"; and |
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| 40 | 40 | | (2) use the seal for the purposes required by Section |
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| 41 | 41 | | 1001.401. |
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| 42 | 42 | | (e) Notwithstanding Section 1001.405(e), a business entity |
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| 43 | 43 | | that is registered with the board and actively engaged in the |
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| 44 | 44 | | practice of engineering may use the term "registered structural |
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| 45 | 45 | | engineer" in the manner provided by that subsection if each |
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| 46 | 46 | | service, work, or act performed by the business entity that is part |
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| 47 | 47 | | of the practice of engineering is: |
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| 48 | 48 | | (1) personally performed by an engineer authorized |
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| 49 | 49 | | under this section; or |
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| 50 | 50 | | (2) directly supervised by an engineer authorized |
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| 51 | 51 | | under this section who is a regular full-time employee of the |
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| 52 | 52 | | business entity. |
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| 53 | 53 | | (f) The board shall adopt rules to implement this section. |
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| 54 | 54 | | SECTION 2. Not later than December 1, 2021, the Texas Board |
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| 55 | 55 | | of Professional Engineers shall adopt rules necessary to implement |
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| 56 | 56 | | Section 1001.3085, Occupations Code, as added by this Act. |
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| 57 | 57 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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