(a) Proposed amendments, deletions, or additions to the board rules of practice and procedure may be submitted by the staff or any board member. Board action to accept or amend the proposal shall require a majority vote when a quorum is present at a meeting. A proposal or amended proposal, as accepted by the board, can be promulgated as an amendment, deletion, or addition to board rules by following the procedures set out in Chapters 2001 and 2002 of the Texas Government Code.

(b) The board shall accept a petition from an interested person as defined in Texas Government Code, Chapter 2001, submitted by at least 25 persons or by an association having at least 25 members to adopt, delete, or amend a rule. For a petition under this section, at least 51 percent of the total number of signatures required must be of residents of this state. The petition must be filed with the executive director at least 30 days and not more than 60 days prior to a regular board meeting at which board action will be taken. Such a petition must include, but need not be limited to, the following requirements:

(1) Full name and complete mailing address and telephone number of the petitioner on whose behalf the petition is filed.

(2) Reference to the rule which it is proposed to make, change or amend, or delete, so that it may be identified and prepared in a manner to indicate the word, phrase, or sentence to be added, changed, or deleted from the current text, if any. The proposed rule should be presented in the exact form in which it is to be published, adopted, or promulgated.

(3) The desired effective date should be stated.

(4) Justification for the proposed action in narrative form with sufficient particularity to fully inform the board and any interested party of the facts upon which the petitioner relies, including the statutory authority for the promulgation of the proposed rule.

(5) Include a brief statement detailing the desired effect to be achieved by the proposed rule, change, or amendment or deletion.

(6) A concise summary of the proposed rule, change, or amendment.

(7) Signatures on the petition of the petitioners and/or the attorney or representative of the petitioners.

(8) Any fee required by statute or board rules.

(c) Within 60 days after submission of a petition requesting the adoption of a rule, the board either shall deny the petition in writing, stating its reasons for the denial, or shall initiate rule making proceedings in accordance with subsection (a) of this section and by law.

(d) In any case in which a public emergency or imperative public necessity so requires, the board may suspend the operation of these sections to the extent authorized by law.

(e) Invalid Portions and Saving Provisions:

(1) If any subcategory, rule, section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of these rules is for any reason held invalid, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of these sections. The board hereby declares that it would have adopted these sections and such subcategories, rules, sections, subsections, sentences, clauses, or phrases thereof irrespective of the fact that any one or more of the subcategories, rules, sections, subsections, sentences, clauses, or phrases be declared invalid.

(2) Since individual board rules are adopted, changed, or deleted periodically, each rule herein will apply only to acts occurring on or after the effective date of the rule. An act occurring before the effective date of one or more of these rules will be governed by the rules existing before the effective date, which rules are continued in effect for this purpose as if these rules were not in force. Any proceeding pending before the board on the effective date of one or more of these rules is governed by the rules existing before the effective date of these rules, which rules are continued in effect for this purpose as if these rules were not in force.

(3) If there is any conflict between the agency's rules and statutory provisions, and the rules cannot be harmonized with the statute in a timely manner, the statutory provisions shall control. The board shall issue a statement describing the irregularity, expected schedule for correction, and necessary action by an effected party.

(f) The effective date of each rule or subdivision of each rule shall be that date published as the effective date of the rule or subdivision of the rule in the Texas Register as a result of the rule making procedures set out in Chapters 2001 and 2002, Texas Government Code.

(g) The board reserves the right to revise the format of these rules of practice and procedure to comply with statutory requirements, and such required revision shall not invalidate any portion or change the effective date of the rules of practice and procedure as adopted by the board.

(h) The board may not adopt a rule related to the scope of practice of, the professional or technical standards for, or the standards of conduct and ethics for land surveyors before considering advice and recommendations from the surveying advisory committee described in §1001.216 of the Act.

Source Note: The provisions of this §131.85 adopted to be effective May 20, 2004, 29 TexReg 4871; amended to be effective December 21, 2008, 33 TexReg 10164; amended to be effective July 16, 2009, 34 TexReg 4637; amended to be effective December 14, 2015, 40 TexReg 8888; amended to be effective December 11, 2016, 41 TexReg 9704; amended to be effective December 24, 2020, 45 TexReg 9202