S.B. No. 1307

	AN ACT
	relating to occupational licenses for military service members,
	military veterans, and military spouses.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1.  The heading to Chapter 55, Occupations Code, as
	amended by Chapters 66 (S.B. 162) and 348 (H.B. 2254), Acts of the
	83rd Legislature, Regular Session, 2013, is reenacted to read as
	follows:
	CHAPTER 55. LICENSING OF MILITARY SERVICE MEMBERS, MILITARY
	VETERANS, AND MILITARY SPOUSES
	SECTION 2.  Section 55.001, Occupations Code, is amended to
	read as follows:
	Sec. 55.001.  DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
	(1)  "Active duty" means current full-time military
	service in the armed forces of the United States or active duty
	military service as a member of the Texas military forces, as
	defined by Section 437.001, Government Code, or similar military
	service of another state.
	(2)  "Armed forces of the United States" means the
	army, navy, air force, coast guard, or marine corps of the United
	States or a reserve unit of one of those branches of the armed
	forces.
	(3)  "License" means a license, certificate,
	registration, permit, or other form of authorization required by
	law or a state agency rule that must be obtained by an individual to
	engage in a particular business.
	(4) [(1-a)]  "Military service member" means a person
	who is on active duty [currently serving in the armed forces of the
	United States, in a reserve component of the armed forces of the
	United States, including the National Guard, or in the state
	military service of any state].
	(5) [(1-b)]  "Military spouse" means a person who is
	married to a military service member [who is currently on active
	duty].
	(6) [(1-c)]  "Military veteran" means a person who has
	served on active duty and who was discharged or released from active
	duty [in the army, navy, air force, marine corps, or coast guard of
	the United States, or in an auxiliary service of one of those
	branches of the armed forces].
	(7) [(2)]  "State agency" means a department, board,
	bureau, commission, committee, division, office, council, or
	agency of the state.
	SECTION 3.  Section 55.002, Occupations Code, is amended to
	read as follows:
	Sec. 55.002.  EXEMPTION FROM PENALTY FOR FAILURE TO RENEW
	LICENSE. A state agency that issues a license shall adopt rules to
	exempt an individual who holds a license issued by the agency from
	any increased fee or other penalty imposed by the agency for failing
	to renew the license in a timely manner if the individual
	establishes to the satisfaction of the agency that the individual
	failed to renew the license in a timely manner because the
	individual was serving as a military service member [on active duty
	in the United States armed forces serving outside this state].
	SECTION 4.  Section 55.003, Occupations Code, is amended to
	read as follows:
	Sec. 55.003.  EXTENSION OF LICENSE RENEWAL [CERTAIN]
	DEADLINES FOR [ACTIVE DUTY] MILITARY SERVICE MEMBERS [PERSONNEL].
	A military service member [person] who holds a license[, is a member
	of the state military forces or a reserve component of the armed
	forces of the United States, and is ordered to active duty by proper
	authority] is entitled to two years of [an] additional [amount of]
	time[, equal to the total number of years or parts of years that the
	person serves on active duty,] to complete:
	(1)  any continuing education requirements; and
	(2)  any other requirement related to the renewal of
	the military service member's [person's] license.
	SECTION 5.  Section 55.004, Occupations Code, is amended to
	read as follows:
	Sec. 55.004.  ALTERNATIVE LICENSING [LICENSE PROCEDURE] FOR
	MILITARY SERVICE MEMBERS, MILITARY VETERANS, AND MILITARY SPOUSES
	[SPOUSE]. (a)  A state agency that issues a license shall adopt
	rules for the issuance of the license to an applicant who is a
	military service member, military veteran, or military spouse [the
	spouse of a person serving on active duty as a member of the armed
	forces of the United States] and:
	(1)  holds a current license issued by another
	jurisdiction [state] that has licensing requirements that are
	substantially equivalent to the requirements for the license in
	this state; or
	(2)  within the five years preceding the application
	date held the license in this state [that expired while the
	applicant lived in another state for at least six months].
	(b)  [Rules adopted under this section must include
	provisions to allow alternative demonstrations of competency to
	meet the requirements for obtaining the license.
	[(c)]  The executive director of a state agency may waive any
	prerequisite to obtaining a license for an applicant described by
	Subsection (a) after reviewing the applicant's credentials [issue a
	license by endorsement in the same manner as the Texas Commission of
	Licensing and Regulation under Section 51.404 to an applicant
	described by Subsection (a)].
	(c)  In addition to the rules adopted under Subsection (a), a
	state agency that issues a license may adopt rules that would
	establish alternate methods for a military service member, military
	veteran, or military spouse to demonstrate competency to meet the
	requirements for obtaining the license.
	SECTION 6.  The heading to Section 55.005, Occupations Code,
	as added by Chapter 66 (S.B. 162), Acts of the 83rd Legislature,
	Regular Session, 2013, is amended to read as follows:
	Sec. 55.005.  EXPEDITED LICENSE PROCEDURE FOR MILITARY
	SERVICE MEMBERS, MILITARY VETERANS, AND MILITARY SPOUSES.
	SECTION 7.  Section 55.005(a), Occupations Code, as added by
	Chapter 66 (S.B. 162), Acts of the 83rd Legislature, Regular
	Session, 2013, is amended to read as follows:
	(a)  A state agency that issues a license shall, as soon as
	practicable after a military service member, military veteran, or
	military spouse files an application for a license:
	(1)  process the application; and
	(2)  issue the [a] license to an [a qualified military
	spouse] applicant who qualifies for the license under Section
	55.004 [holds a current license issued by another jurisdiction that
	has licensing requirements that are substantially equivalent to the
	licensing requirements in this state].
	SECTION 8.  Section 55.005, Occupations Code, as added by
	Chapter 348 (H.B. 2254), Acts of the 83rd Legislature, Regular
	Session, 2013, is redesignated as Section 55.008, Occupations Code,
	and amended to read as follows:
	Sec. 55.008 [55.005].  APPRENTICESHIP REQUIREMENTS FOR
	APPLICANT WITH MILITARY EXPERIENCE.  (a)  Notwithstanding any
	other law, if an apprenticeship is required for a [an occupational]
	license issued by a state agency, the state agency shall credit
	verified military service, training, or education that is relevant
	to the occupation toward the apprenticeship requirements for the
	license.
	(b)  The state agency shall adopt rules necessary to
	implement this section.
	SECTION 9.  The heading to Section 55.006, Occupations Code,
	is amended to read as follows:
	Sec. 55.006.  RENEWAL OF EXPEDITED LICENSE ISSUED TO
	MILITARY SERVICE MEMBER, MILITARY VETERAN, OR MILITARY SPOUSE.
	SECTION 10.  Chapter 55, Occupations Code, is amended by
	adding Section 55.009 to read as follows:
	Sec. 55.009.  NOTICE OF CHAPTER PROVISIONS. A state agency
	that issues a license shall prominently post a notice on the home
	page of the agency's Internet website describing the provisions of
	this chapter that are available to military service members,
	military veterans, and military spouses.
	SECTION 11.  The changes in law made by this Act apply only
	to an application for an occupational license or renewal of an
	occupational license filed on or after January 1, 2016.  An
	application for a license or for license renewal filed before
	January 1, 2016, is governed by the law in effect immediately before
	the effective date of this Act, and that law is continued in effect
	for that purpose.
	SECTION 12.  To the extent of any conflict, this Act prevails
	over another Act of the 84th Legislature, Regular Session, 2015,
	relating to nonsubstantive additions to and corrections in enacted
	codes.
	SECTION 13.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.
	______________________________	______________________________
	President of the Senate	Speaker of the House
	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1307 passed the Senate on
	April 29, 2015, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.
	______________________________
	Secretary of the Senate
	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1307 passed the House on
	May 27, 2015, by the following vote:  Yeas 144, Nays 0, two
	present not voting.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House
	Approved:
	______________________________
	Date
	______________________________
	Governor