(a) A registered sanitarian must obtain and show proof of 24 continuing education hours related to the field of consumer health, environmental health, or sanitation taken within the 24 months preceding renewal for a registration issued for a two-year term.
(b) Only the following continuing education activities shall serve as a basis for registration renewal:
  (1) approved by the department or its designee in accordance with this section; or
  (2) approved by another professional regulatory agency in Texas as acceptable continuing education for registration renewal.
(c) Acceptable continuing education must be provided by one of the following types of sponsors:
  (1) a governmental agency;
  (2) an accredited college or university;
  (3) an association with a membership of 25 or more persons; or
  (4) a pre-approved commercial education business.
(d) Government agencies, non-profit organizations, and accredited colleges and universities are pre-approved as sponsors for continuing education when the activity is conducted or sponsored in compliance with these rules and is directly related to environmental health, consumer health, or sanitation.
(e) Continuing education activities conducted by approved sponsors must meet the following criteria:
  (1) the activity must have significant educational or practical content to maintain appropriate levels of competency;
  (2) the activity must have a record keeping procedure provided by the sponsor which includes a register of who took the course and the number of continuing education hours earned;
  (3) the sponsor must include procedures for verifying participant attendance as well as comprehension of subject matter presented. These procedures may include, but are not limited to, examinations, post-activity questionnaires, field demonstrations, in-class workbooks or handout materials, and/or question and answer periods to assure participant understanding of the subject matter;
  (4) the activity must be at least 50 minutes in length of actual instruction time. No credit will be given for time used to promote the sponsor or other non-relevant activities; and
  (5) the sponsor must ensure the activity complies with all applicable federal and state laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements for access to activities.
(f) Acceptable continuing education activities in consumer health, environmental health, or sanitation include the following:
  (1) conferences;
  (2) home-study training modules (including professional journals requiring successful completion of a test document);
  (3) lectures;
  (4) panel discussions;
  (5) seminars;
  (6) accredited college or university courses;
  (7) video or film presentations with live instruction;
  (8) field demonstrations;
  (9) teleconferences;
  (10) online training; or
  (11) other activities approved by the department.
(g) Sponsors must ensure that all continuing education instructors have one of the following credentials or hold one of the following positions:
  (1) certification as a registered sanitarian by the department;
  (2) instructor at the Texas Engineering Extension Service;
  (3) faculty member at an accredited college or university;
  (4) employee of the department or the Department of State Health Services; or
  (5) teaching or work experience determined by the sponsor to be sufficient.
(h) To obtain department approval to provide approved continuing education, the sponsor must submit:
  (1) a completed application on department forms;
  (2) the fee prescribed in §119.80; and
  (3) any additional information or material requested by the department.
(i) Each approved continuing education sponsor shall be approved for one year from the date of approval. Sponsors who wish to continue approval should submit a sponsor approval form and prescribed fee.
(j) Sponsors of approved continuing education activities shall:
  (1) at the conclusion of the activity, distribute to those registered sanitarians who have successfully completed the activity a certificate of completion which shall include the name of the sponsor, the date and name of the activity, and the continuing education hours earned; and
  (2) maintain a copy of the register for five years and provide it to the department upon request.
(k) Each registered sanitarian shall collect and keep certificates of completion from all courses completed. These certificates of completion will be used to document a registered sanitarian's attendance at approved courses. Transcripts showing coursework in environmental or consumer health from an accredited college or university, or written verification of hours approved by the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) will also be accepted. The department will conduct random audits for compliance with this requirement.

Source Note: The provisions of this §119.27 adopted to be effective November 1, 2017, 42 TexReg 4643