22 Tex. Admin. Code § 5.79 - Continuing Education Requirements
(a)
For the purposes of this Section, the following definitions shall apply:
(1) Approved Subject Areas - The following
are the Approved Subject Areas for qualifying continuing education:
(A) Legal: laws, codes, zoning, regulations,
standards, life-safety, accessibility, ethics, insurance to protect owners and
public.
(B) Technical: structural,
mechanical, electrical, communications, fire protection, controls.
(C) Environmental: energy efficiency,
sustainability, natural resources, natural hazards, hazardous materials,
weatherproofing, insulation.
(D)
Occupant Comfort: air quality, lighting, acoustics, ergonomics.
(E) Materials and Methods: building systems,
products, finishes, furnishings, equipment.
(F) Preservations: historic, reuse,
adaptation.
(G) Pre-design:
programming, project analysis, survey of existing conditions, including the
materials and configuration of the interior space of a project.
(H) Design: interior building design,
interior specifications, accessibility, safety, and security measures.
(I) Construction Documents:
drawings, specifications and other materials within the definition of the term
"Construction Document".
(J)
Construction Administration: contract, bidding, and contract negotiations.
(2) Health, Safety, or
Welfare - Continuing education course content covering knowledge and practice
of interior design that is focused on protection of the public and the
environment.
(3) Structured Course
Study - Courses of study relevant to the practice of Interior Design, taught or
otherwise provided by qualified individuals or organizations, delivered by
direct, in-person contact or through distance learning methods, the completion
of which results in the issuance of a certificate or other record of attendance
to the Registered Interior Designer by the provider.
(4) Self-Directed Study - Time spent by a
Registered Interior Designer developing knowledge and skills relevant to the
practice of Interior Design that does not qualify as Structured Course Study.
(b) During each
calendar year between January 1 and December 31, a Registered Interior Designer
shall complete a minimum of 12 qualifying continuing education program hours
(CEPH) according to the requirements of this section. Each hour of continuing
education applied to this requirement shall directly relate to Health, Safety,
or Welfare.
(c) Of the 12
qualifying CEPH, each Registered Interior Designer shall complete a minimum of
one CEPH relating to Barrier-Free Design and one CEPH relating to Sustainable
or Energy-Efficient Design.
(d) Of
the 12 qualifying CEPH, each Registered Interior Designer shall complete a
minimum of eight CEPH in Structured Course Study.
(1) Each hour of Structured Course Study
shall address one or more Approved Subject Areas and at least 45 minutes of
every hour of CEPH shall directly relate to Health, Safety, or Welfare.
(2) Examples of Structured Course
Study include the following:
(A) Attendance
at continuing education courses dealing with technical Interior Design subjects
related to the Registered Interior Designer's profession, ethical business
practices, or new technology.
(B)
The completion of college or university credit courses addressing Interior
Design subjects, ethical business practices or new technology. Each semester or
quarter credit hour shall equal one CEPH.
(e) Of the 12 qualifying CEPH, each
Registered Interior Designer may claim a maximum of four hours of Self-Directed
Study. Examples of Self-Directed Study may include the following:
(1) Reading written material or reviewing
audio, video, or digital media that develops knowledge and skills relevant to
the practice of Interior Design but does not qualify as Structured Course
Study;
(2) Time spent in Interior
Design research for publication or formal presentation to the profession or
public;
(3) Hours spent in
professional service to the general public that draws upon the Registered
Interior Designer's professional expertise, such as serving on planning
commissions, building code advisory boards, urban renewal boards, code study
committees, or educational outreach activities;
(4) Time spent preparing to teach or teaching
Interior Design courses. A Registered Interior Designer may not claim credit
for preparing for or teaching the same course more than once; and
(5) One CEPH may be claimed for attendance at
one full-day session of a meeting of the Texas Board of Architectural
Examiners.
(f) A
Registered Interior Designer may be exempt from continuing education
requirements for any of the following reasons:
(1) A Registered Interior Designer shall be
exempt upon initial registration and upon reinstatement of registration through
December 31st of the calendar year of his/her initial or reinstated
registration;
(2) An inactive or
emeritus Registered Interior Designer shall be exempt during any calendar year
in which the Registered Interior Designer's registration is in inactive or
emeritus status, but all continuing education credits for each period of
inactive or emeritus registration shall be completed before the Registered
Interior Designer's registration may be returned to active status;
(3) A Registered Interior Designer who is not
a full-time member of the Armed Forces shall be exempt for any calendar year
during which the Registered Interior Designer serves on active duty in the
Armed Forces of the United States for a period of time exceeding 90 consecutive
days;
(4) A Registered Interior
Designer who has an active interior design registration in another jurisdiction
shall be exempt from mandatory continuing education program requirements in
Texas for any calendar year during which the Registered Interior Designer
satisfies the other jurisdiction's continuing education program requirements,
provided that the other jurisdiction's continuing education requirements are
substantially equivalent to Texas requirements. Notwithstanding this exemption,
the Registered Interior Designer shall complete one CEPH relating to
Barrier-Free Design and one CEPH relating to Sustainable or Energy-Efficient
Design; or
(5) A Registered
Interior Designer who is, as of September 1, 1999, a full-time faculty member
or other permanent employee of an institution of higher education, as defined
in §
61.003, Education
Code, and who in such position is engaged in teaching Interior Design.
(g) A Registered
Interior Designer shall maintain a detailed record of the Registered Interior
Designer's continuing education activities, including all course completion
certificates documenting completion of Structured Course Study and a record of
Self-Directed Study including a date and description of the claimed activity,
for a period of five years after the end of the calendar year for which credit
is claimed.
(h) When renewing
his/her annual registration, a Registered Interior Designer shall complete an
attestation regarding the Registered Interior Designer's compliance with
minimum continuing education requirements. A Registered Interior Designer may
attest to compliance and shall be considered compliant with continuing
education requirements if:
(1) The Registered
Interior Designer fulfilled minimum continuing education program requirements
during the immediately preceding calendar year according to the requirements of
this Section; or
(2) The
Registered Interior Designer failed to fulfill minimum continuing education
program hours during the immediately preceding calendar year, but prior to
renewing his/her registration in the current calendar year, the Registered
Interior Designer:
(A) Completed sufficient
qualifying CEPH to correct any deficiency for the prior calendar year (which
will be applied to the previous calendar year and cannot be applied to the
current calendar year requirement); and
(B) Completed 12 hours of qualifying CEPH to
be applied to the current calendar year requirement.
(i) Upon written request, the
Board may require a Registered Interior Designer to produce documentation to
prove that the Registered Interior Designer has complied with the minimum
continuing education program requirements.
(1) Board staff will review a Registered
Interior Designer's response to such a request to determine whether the
Registered Interior Designer is in compliance with this Section.
(2) If a Registered Interior Designer fails
to provide acceptable documentation of compliance within 30 days of a request,
the Registered Interior Designer will be presumed to have not complied with
minimum continuing education requirements.
(3) The Board has final authority to
determine whether to award or deny credit claimed by a Registered Interior
Designer for continuing education activities.
(j) Violations of continuing education
requirements and administrative penalties:
(1) Falsely attesting to compliance with
minimum continuing education requirements shall be subject to an administrative
penalty in the amount of $500;
(2)
Failure to timely complete minimum continuing education requirements shall be
subject to an administrative penalty in the amount of $100 for every hour of
deficiency per calendar year;
(3)
Failure to maintain a detailed record of continuing education activities shall
be subject to an administrative penalty of $100 for every hour of claimed
continuing education for which a Registered Interior Designer is unable to
provide proof of compliance; and
(4) Failure to timely respond to or comply
with a continuing education audit or verification shall be subject to an
administrative penalty of $250 per failure.
(k) The administrative penalties identified
in subsection (j) of this section are considered appropriate for a first-time
violation of continuing education requirements. If a Registered Interior
Designer was previously found to have violated the Board's continuing education
requirements in a warning or Order of the Board, the Board may increase the
penalty up to a factor of two for a second or subsequent violation, in addition
to consideration of suspension or revocation of registration under §5.242
of the Board's rules.
(l) The
administrative penalties identified in subsection (j) of this section are to be
applied to each individual violation of the Board's continuing education
requirements. If a Registered Interior Designer has committed multiple
violations, the Registered Interior Designer shall be subject to a separate
administrative penalty for each violation.
(m) If a Registered Interior Designer is
registered to practice more than one of the professions regulated by the Board
and the Registered Interior Designer completes a continuing education activity
that is directly related to more than one of those professions, the Registered
Interior Designer may submit that activity for credit for all of the
professions to which it relates. The Registered Interior Designer must maintain
a separate detailed record of continuing education activities for each
profession.
(n) A Registered
Interior Designer may receive credit for up to 24 CEPH earned during any single
calendar year. A maximum of 12 CEPH that is completed in excess of the
continuing education requirements for a calendar year may be carried forward to
satisfy the continuing education requirements for the next calendar year.
(o) As the term is defined in
§5.39(a) of the Board's rules, a military service member is entitled to
two years of additional time to complete any CEPH requirements.
Notes
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