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Texas licensing board adopts broad rule package to implement recent legislative changes
Summary
The Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors approved a large rule-adoption package implementing recent legislative changes, including a shift to two-year renewals and adjustments to surveyor continuing-education requirements; staff said the package incorporates public comments and minor renumbering corrections.
The Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors voted to adopt a comprehensive set of rule changes intended to implement legislation passed earlier this year and to update the board's continuing-education and licensing procedures.
Staff presented the package as a grouped adoption that implements provisions referenced in the record as "Senate Bill 6 81," "Senate Bill 12 59," and other legislative items. The rules cover a range of topics, including transition to a two-year renewal system, surveyor continuing-education requirements, veterans-related provisions, and criminal-conviction implementation. The board approved the grouped items by voice votes after staff noted a small public-comment record and a necessary renumbering to correct duplicate section letters in the register.
Why it matters: The adopted rules change the cadence and some content of continuing education and renewals for licensees, a procedural shift that affects renewal schedules, reporting, and how many hours licensees must complete per renewal cycle. Staff emphasized that the changes aim to align the board's administrative rules with statutes enacted by the Legislature.
Board discussion focused on one substantive public comment regarding surveyor continuing education: under the new two-year renewal window, staff recommended removing the previous rollover practice for CE hours. A staff summary of the committee's position said the Survey Advisory Committee (SAC) recommended requiring four hours of ethics every two years for surveyors instead of carrying hours forward across annual cycles; staff said the SAC concluded that four ethics hours every two years balanced the professions' needs.
The board handled the package in several voice votes: items A through T were adopted, additional new-rule groupings (U and V) were adopted together, and two repeal items (W and X) were adopted as presented; later the board voted to adopt the full renumbered set (A through WW) as listed in the Texas Register. Staff said minor non-substantive letter changes would be corrected before publication.
What happens next: Staff will publish the adopted rules in the Texas Register with the corrected numbering and update the board's website and guidance for practitioners. Staff also said outreach and communications will follow to help licensees understand the new two-year renewal deadlines and continuing-education requirements.
