(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) Construction and Evaluation--Areas related to construction contract administration and post-occupancy evaluation of projects. Acceptable topics include, but are not limited to: Construction Contract Administration; Bidding and Negotiation; Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE); and Building Commissioning.
    (B) Practice Management--areas related to the management of architectural practice and the details of running a business. Acceptable topics include, but are not limited to: Applicable Laws and Regulations; Ethics; Insurance to Protect Owner and Public; Business Management; Risk Management; Information Management; Design for Community Needs; and Supervisor Training.
    (C) Programming and Analysis--Areas related to the evaluation of project requirements, constraints, and opportunities. Acceptable topics include, but are not limited to: Land-Use Analysis; Programming; Site Selection; Historic Preservation; Adaptive Reuse; Codes, Regulations, and Standards; Natural Resources; Environmental Impact and Ecosystem Risk Assessment; Hazardous Materials; Resilience to Natural and Human Impacts; Life Safety; and Feasibility Studies.
    (D) Project Development and Documentation--Areas related to the integration and documentation of building systems, material selection, and material assemblies into a project. Acceptable topics include, but are not limited to: Construction Documents; Materials and Assemblies; and Fixtures, Furnishings, & Equipment.
    (E) Project Management--areas related to the management of architectural projects through execution. Acceptable topics include, but are not limited to: Project Delivery Methods; Contract Negotiation; Pre-Design Services; Site and Soils Analysis; Consultant Management; Project Scheduling; Quality Control (QA/QC); Economic Assessment; and Value Engineering.
    (F) Project Planning and Design--areas related to the preliminary design of sites and buildings. Acceptable topics include, but are not limited to: Building Systems; Urban Planning; Master Planning; Building Design; Site Design; Safety and Security Measures; Impacts, Adaptation and Mitigation of a Changing Climate; Energy Efficiency and Positive Energy Design; Sustainability; Indoor Air Quality; Ergonomics; Lighting; Acoustics; Accessibility; Construction Systems; and Budget Development.
  (2) Health, Safety, or Welfare--Those aspects of professional practice that improve the physical, emotional, and social well-being of occupants, users, and any others affected by buildings and sites; those aspects of professional practice that protect occupants, users, and any others affected by buildings or sites from harm; and those aspects of professional practice that enable equitable access, elevate the human experience, encourage social interaction, and benefit the environment.
  (3) Structured Course Study--Courses of study relevant to the Practice of Architecture, 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 Architect by the provider.
  (4) Self-Directed Study--Time spent by an Architect developing knowledge and skills relevant to the Practice of Architecture that does not qualify as Structured Course Study.
(b) During each calendar year between January 1 and December 31, an Architect 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 Architect 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 Architect 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 architectural subjects related to the Architect's profession, ethical business practices, or new technology.
    (B) The completion of college or university credit courses addressing architectural subjects, ethical business practices or new technology. Each semester or quarter credit hour shall equal one CEPH.
(e) Of the 12 qualifying CEPH, each Architect 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 Architecture but does not qualify as Structured Course Study;
  (2) Time spent in architectural research for publication or formal presentation to the profession or public;
  (3) Time spent in professional service to the general public that draws upon the Architect'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 architectural courses. An Architect 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) An Architect may be exempt from continuing education requirements for any of the following reasons:
  (1) An Architect 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 Architect shall be exempt during any calendar year in which the Architect'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 Architect's registration may be returned to active status;
  (3) An Architect who is not a full-time member of the Armed Forces shall be exempt for any calendar year during which the Architect serves on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States for a period of time exceeding 90 consecutive days;
  (4) An Architect who has an active architectural registration in another jurisdiction shall be exempt from mandatory continuing education program requirements in Texas for any calendar year during which the Architect 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 Architect shall complete one CEPH relating to Barrier-Free Design and one CEPH relating to Sustainable or Energy-Efficient Design; or
  (5) An Architect 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 architecture.
(g) An Architect shall maintain a detailed record of the Architect'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, an Architect shall complete an attestation regarding the Architect's compliance with minimum continuing education requirements. An Architect may attest to compliance and shall be considered compliant with continuing education requirements if:
  (1) The Architect fulfilled minimum continuing education program requirements during the immediately preceding calendar year according to the requirements of this Section; or
  (2) The Architect 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 Architect:
    (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
Cont'd...