The commission and its staff must review certain licensing agencies, consider specified licensing criteria, check whether the agency has evaluated what license-holder information to publish on its website, and recommend an evaluation if one has not been done.
Sec. 325.0115. CRITERIA FOR REVIEW OF CERTAIN AGENCIES. (a) In this section: (1) "License" means a license, certificate, registration, permit, or other form of authorization required by law or a state agency rule that must be obtained by an individual to engage in a particular occupation or profession. (2) "Public interest" means protection from a present and recognizable harm to public health, safety, or welfare. The term does not include speculative threats, or other non-demonstrable menaces to public health, safety, or welfare. For the purposes of this subdivision, the term "welfare" includes the financial health of the public when the absence of governmental regulation unreasonably increases risk and liability to broad classes of consumers. (b) In an assessment of an agency that licenses an occupation or profession, the commission and its staff shall consider: (1) whether the occupational licensing program: (A) serves a meaningful, defined public interest; and (B) provides the least restrictive form of regulation that will adequately protect the public interest; (2) the extent to which the regulatory objective of the occupational licensing program may be achieved through market forces, private or industry certification and accreditation programs, or enforcement of other law; (3) the extent to which licensing criteria, if applicable, ensure that applicants have occupational skill sets or competencies that correlate with a public interest and the impact that those criteria have on applicants, particularly those with moderate or low incomes, seeking to enter the occupation or profession; and (4) the impact of the regulation, including the extent to which the program stimulates or restricts competition and affects consumer choice and the cost of services. (c) As part of the commission's review of an agency that licenses an occupation or profession, the commission and its staff shall determine whether the governing body of the agency being reviewed has made an evaluation regarding the type of personal information of license holders that the agency should make available on the agency's Internet website based on the following factors: (1) the type of information the public needs to file a complaint with the agency; (2) the type of information the public needs to locate an existing or potential service provider; (3) the type of information the public needs to verify a license; and (4) whether making the information available on the agency's Internet website could subject a license holder to harassment, solicitation, or other nuisance. (d) If the commission determines that the governing body of an agency has not completed the evaluation described by Subsection (c), the commission shall make a recommendation that the governing body of the agency perform such an evaluation. Added by Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 222 (H.B. 86), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2013. Amended by: Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 572 (S.B. 237), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2019.