Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2204 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R1577 BEE-F
2	2	By: Bumgarner H.B. No. 2204
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the regulation of land surveyors by the Texas Board of
10	10	Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 1001.216, Occupations Code, is amended
13	13	by adding Subsections (a-1) and (a-2) to read as follows:
14	14	(a-1) The advisory committee appointed under Subsection (a)
15	15	may, on its own initiative or at the request of any interested
16	16	person, prepare a written report or recommendation to the board on
17	17	any surveying-related subject regulated by the board.
18	18	(a-2) The advisory committee appointed under Subsection (a)
19	19	shall maintain a written public record of each subject discussed
20	20	and action taken at the committee's meetings.
21	21	SECTION 2. Section 1001.601(a), Occupations Code, is
22	22	amended to read as follows:
23	23	(a) On its own initiative or at the request of any
24	24	interested person, the board shall prepare a written advisory
25	25	opinion about:
26	26	(1) an interpretation of this chapter or Chapter 1071;
27	27	or
28	28	(2) the application of this chapter or Chapter 1071 to
29	29	a person in regard to a specified existing or hypothetical factual
30	30	situation.
31	31	SECTION 3. Sections 1071.253(a) and (c), Occupations Code,
32	32	are amended to read as follows:
33	33	(a) An applicant for a surveyor-in-training certificate
34	34	must:
35	35	(1) have earned a bachelor of science degree in
36	36	surveying from an accredited institution of higher education;
37	37	(2) have:
38	38	(A) earned a bachelor's degree from an accredited
39	39	institution of higher education that included at least 32 semester
40	40	hours in a combination of courses acceptable to the board in:
41	41	(i) land surveying [civil engineering];
42	42	(ii) civil engineering [land surveying];
43	43	(iii) mathematics;
44	44	(iv) photogrammetry;
45	45	(v) forestry;
46	46	(vi) land law; or
47	47	(vii) the physical sciences; and
48	48	(B) completed at least one year of experience
49	49	acceptable to the board in delegated responsible charge as a
50	50	subordinate to a registered professional land surveyor actively
51	51	engaged in professional surveying;
52	52	(3) have:
53	53	(A) earned an associate degree in surveying from
54	54	an accredited institution of higher education; and
55	55	(B) completed at least two years of experience
56	56	acceptable to the board in delegated responsible charge as a
57	57	subordinate to a registered professional land surveyor actively
58	58	engaged in professional surveying;
59	59	(4) have:
60	60	(A) successfully completed a course of
61	61	instruction consisting of 32 semester hours in land surveying or
62	62	the equivalent number of semester hours in board-approved courses
63	63	related to surveying; and
64	64	(B) completed at least two years of experience
65	65	acceptable to the board in delegated responsible charge as a
66	66	subordinate to a registered professional land surveyor actively
67	67	engaged in professional surveying; or
68	68	(5) have:
69	69	(A) graduated from an accredited high school;
70	70	(B) completed at least four years of experience
71	71	acceptable to the board in delegated responsible charge as a
72	72	subordinate to a registered professional land surveyor actively
73	73	engaged in professional surveying; and
74	74	(C) provided evidence satisfactory to the board
75	75	that the applicant is self-educated in professional surveying.
76	76	(c) On proof that an applicant meets the qualifications
77	77	prescribed by Subsection (a) and has passed the fundamentals of
78	78	surveying examination prescribed by the board under Section
79	79	1071.256, the [The] board shall issue a surveyor-in-training
80	80	certificate to the [an] applicant [who passes the applicable parts
81	81	of the examination taken under Subsection (b)]. The certificate is
82	82	valid for eight years.
83	83	SECTION 4. Sections 1071.254(a) and (b), Occupations Code,
84	84	are amended to read as follows:
85	85	(a) An applicant for registration as a registered
86	86	professional land surveyor must:
87	87	(1) hold a certificate as a surveyor-in-training;
88	88	(2) have passed the principles and practice of
89	89	surveying examination prescribed by the board under Section
90	90	1071.256;
91	91	(3) [(2)] have at least two years of experience
92	92	satisfactory to the board as a surveyor-in-training in performing
93	93	surveying in delegated responsible charge as a subordinate to a
94	94	surveyor registered or licensed to engage in the practice of
95	95	surveying in this state or in another state having registration or
96	96	licensing requirements equivalent to the requirements of this
97	97	state; and
98	98	(4) [(3)] have earned an associate or bachelor's
99	99	degree from an accredited institution of higher education that
100	100	included at least 32 semester hours in a combination of courses
101	101	acceptable to the board in:
102	102	(A) land surveying [civil engineering];
103	103	(B) civil engineering [land surveying];
104	104	(C) mathematics;
105	105	(D) photogrammetry;
106	106	(E) forestry;
107	107	(F) land law; or
108	108	(G) the physical sciences.
109	109	(b) An applicant is entitled to registration as a registered
110	110	professional land surveyor if the applicant meets the
111	111	qualifications prescribed by Subsection (a) and is approved to take
112	112	and passes the required sections of the Texas specific surveying
113	113	examination prescribed under Section 1071.256.
114	114	SECTION 5. Section 1071.256, Occupations Code, is amended
115	115	by adding Subsections (a-1) and (b-1) and amending Subsection (b)
116	116	to read as follows:
117	117	(a-1) The board by rule shall prescribe the fundamentals of
118	118	surveying examination required for an applicant for certification
119	119	as a surveyor-in-training under Section 1071.253.
120	120	(b) The board by rule shall prescribe the principles and
121	121	practice of surveying examination required for an applicant for
122	122	registration as a registered professional land surveyor under
123	123	Section 1071.254 [must be developed and given as provided by this
124	124	chapter under board rules designed] to determine the knowledge and
125	125	ability of the applicant.
126	126	(b-1) The board by rule shall prescribe the Texas specific
127	127	surveying examination required for an applicant for registration as
128	128	a registered professional land surveyor under Section 1071.254.
129	129	SECTION 6. Section 1071.253(b), Occupations Code, is
130	130	repealed.
131	131	SECTION 7. Not later than December 1, 2025, the Texas Board
132	132	of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors shall adopt the rules
133	133	necessary to implement the changes in law made by this Act.
134	134	SECTION 8. Sections 1071.253 and 1071.254, Occupations
135	135	Code, as amended by this Act, apply only to an application for,
136	136	respectively, a surveyor-in-training certificate or registration
137	137	as a registered professional land surveyor filed with the Texas
138	138	Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors on or after the
139	139	effective date of this Act. An application filed before the
140	140	effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the
141	141	date the application was filed, and the former law is continued in
142	142	effect for that purpose.
143	143	SECTION 9. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.