The following words and terms, when used in this subchapter, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
  (1) Forensic analyst - Means a person who on behalf of a crime laboratory accredited under Article 38.01 §4-d, Code of Criminal Procedure, technically reviews or performs a forensic analysis or draws conclusions from or interprets a forensic analysis for a court or crime laboratory. The term does not include a medical examiner or other forensic pathologist who is a licensed physician.
  (2) Forensic analysis - Has the meaning assigned by Article 38.35, Code of Criminal Procedure.
  (3) Forensic pathology - Includes that portion of an autopsy conducted by a medical examiner or other forensic pathologist who is a licensed physician.
  (4) Accredited laboratory - Includes a public or private laboratory or other entity that conducts forensic analysis as defined in Article 38.35, Code of Criminal Procedure and is accredited by a national accrediting body recognized by the Commission and listed in §651.4 of this title (relating to List of Recognized Accrediting Bodies).
  (5) Physical evidence - Has the meaning assigned by Article 38.35, Code of Criminal Procedure.
  (6) Accredited university - A college or university accredited by a national accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education, or a foreign university with a degree program(s) recognized as equivalent by the Commission.
  (7) Professional Misconduct - Professional misconduct means the forensic analyst or crime laboratory, through a material act or omission, deliberately failed to follow the standard of practice that an ordinary forensic analyst or crime laboratory would have followed, and the deliberate act or omission would substantially affect the integrity of the results of a forensic analysis. An act or omission was deliberate if the forensic analyst or crime laboratory was aware of and consciously disregarded an accepted standard of practice required for a forensic analysis.
  (8) Technician - An individual who performs basic analytical functions under the supervision of a qualified analyst but does not evaluate data, reach conclusions or sign any report for court or investigative purposes shall be considered a technician under the disciplines set forth in this section, with the exception of a Firearms/Toolmarks Technician who may issue a report provided it is limited to a representation that a firearm was test-fired and/or cartridge cases were entered into the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network.
  (9) Interpretation for toxicology - Interpretation is the consideration of dose-response relationships between drugs, alcohol or other compounds of interest and the resulting behavioral or physical changes to human performance, including the evaluation of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics parameters. Examples include but are not limited to: calculation of dose or other pharmacokinetic calculations; determination of drug/drug interactions; determination (or reporting) of therapeutic, toxic, or lethal drug ranges; evaluation of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, or excretion; and determination of the effects (mental or physical).
  (10) Crime scene reconstruction - is the application of the scientific method to evaluate information regarding a crime scene from all reasonably available sources such as scene documentation, investigative reports, physical evidence, laboratory reports, autopsy documentation, photographs, video, and witness statements. Crime Scene Reconstruction--as distinguished from crime scene processing or crime scene investigation--includes the application of analytical methods beyond general observations or opinions about the scene to identify and test hypotheses.
  (11) Latent print examination - Includes the forensic examination of friction ridge detail from the hands and feet.
  (12) Forensic anthropology - Includes the application of anthropological methods and theory, particularly those relating to the recovery and analysis of human remains.

Source Note: The provisions of this §651.202 adopted to be effective May 16, 2018, 43 TexReg 3106; amended to be effective September 15, 2019, 44 TexReg 4874; amended to be effective April 5, 2020, 45 TexReg 2318