Texas law taking effect in June may impact summer driving courses
As the 88th legislative session for the Texas Senate and House of Representatives draws to a close and the last stream of bills head to Texas Governor Greg Abbott's desk for final approval, some laws signed in 2021 are still taking effect.
AUSTIN (KAMR/KCIT) - As the 88th legislative session for the Texas Senate and House of Representatives draws to a close and the last stream of bills head to Texas Governor Greg Abbott's desk for final approval, some laws signed in 2021 are still taking effect.
While many of the laws going into effect in 2023 rolled out as soon as the ball dropped for the new year, some changes related to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation went into effect June 1. These changes, initially part of HB 1560, impact subjects such as education, criminal proceedings, alcohol, health and safety, and regulations for certain jobs such as barbers and cosmetologists.
Some of the effects of HB 1560 include repealing or amending provisions in codes to provide for the TDLR and the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation, including:
- The Alcoholic Beverage Code;
- Code of Criminal Procedure;
- Education Code;
- Family Code;
- Government Code;
- Health and Safety Code;
- Human Resources Code;
- Occupations Code; and
- Transportation Code.
Other functions of the bill include:
- Continuing the TCLR and the TDLR until September 2033, and postponing the sunset review of certain programs transferred to TDLR until the 2032-2033 review cycle;
- Revising provisions relating to complaints received by TDLR and requiring TDLR to post an additional statistical analysis of those complaints;
- Requiring TDLR to conduct risk-based inspections;
- Requiring TDLR to study regulating auctioneering and eliminating licensing requirements for polygraph examiners;
- Consolidating licenses and certificates that cover both barbers and cosmetologists, and removing certain regulations relating to those occupations; and
- Eliminating the licensure requirement for people issuing a residential service contract by repealing the Residential Service Company Act, and instead providing for that regulation through the Service Contract Regulatory Act.
The parts of the bill that are going into effect on June 1 are mostly portions repealing or amending certain statutory provisions regarding driver training, including amending how driver safety course providers are licensed and requirements for online and parent-taught driver education courses.
Regarding driver education, some of the impacts of the bill include:
- Adjusting the makeup of the driver education advisory committee to consist of nine members instead of 11, made up of driver education and safety providers, a driver education instructor, a Department of Public Safety division head or designee, and a member of the public;
- The department will collaborate with the Department of Public Safety on matters such as developing the content of driver's license exams;
- Driver training providers will need to submit their course length and curriculum content to the commission for approval;
- Amending that parent-taught driver education providers need a parent-taught driver education provider license; and
- Adjusting the wording for the fees included in getting a driver's education provider license.
The last group of laws from 2021 that will go into effect in 2023 will have their impact roll out fully on September 1. As noted in previous reports on MyHighPlains.com, these bills focus on Government Code and state agency rules, public school financing and public education, and the adult high school charter program.