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June 6, 2022
In This Issue
  • Focus on Compliance
  • Surveying Advisory Committee
  • Board and Committee Meetings
  • Exam News
  • Webinars and Outreach
  • Agency Vacancies
Focus on Compliance

Administrative Penalties
The Board routinely receives questions asking how administrative penalties are calculated. The goal of this article is to help licensees and registrants understand how the Board calculates administrative penalties for anyone who commits a violation of the Acts or Board rules. 

To calculate an administrative penalty, Board staff relies on the sanction tables found in Board Rules 139.35 and 139.37, for engineering and surveying violations, respectively. The sanction tables contain baseline penalties for violating specific rules.  

As part of our ongoing commitment to education and outreach we are adding a new section to our eNewsletters related to compliance, enforcement and ethics issues. We will cover a different topic each newsletter as a reminder and example of the importance of different aspects of your professional practice. 

If you have suggestions about a topic for us to consider addressing in a future issue, please email your idea to the Board at: info@pels.texas.gov
Surveying Advisory Committee Applicants Needed
The Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (TBPELS) is seeking qualified applicants to be considered to serve on the Surveying Advisory Committee (SAC). Applicants must have been a Texas R.P.L.S. for a minimum of 5 years.
The deadline is June 24. Click here for more info and to apply: https://pels.texas.gov/sac
Board and Committee Meetings
May 11-12 2022, Board Meeting
Meeting was held in person. Agendas, minutes, and recordings are available at https://pels.texas.gov/boardmeetings.htm
Rule Amendments
The board passed various cleanup rule amendments that were previously published in the Texas Register. Final versions will be published at the end of June.

Disciplinary Actions 
All enforcement actions approved in the Board meeting are posted on the TBPELS website. Enforcement actions are reported based on the date of the Board meeting at which the actions were taken. http://pels.texas.gov/disciplinary.htm

Future Meetings
The next meetings will be held from August 17-18, 2022. Refer to our website for agendas and links to attend the meetings.

Previous Meeting Recordings
The meeting recordings have been posted on the agency's YouTube Channel. Viewing these recordings or attending the live stream qualifies for continuing education credit under the category of self-directed study. A maximum of five credit hours may be accrued for engineer self-directed study. The maximum credit for surveyors is four hours.
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Exam News
Engineer Exams
  • F.E. and P.E. exams are all computer-based except structural exams which are still paper-and-pencil.
  • Refer to NCEES for specific exam dates and deadlines - https://ncees.org/exams/schedule/

Land Surveyor Exams
Webinars and Outreach
TBPELS provides online outreach presentations at no charge to license holders, associations, societies, and companies.
The following guidelines are followed:
  • The default method of presentation is via webinar.
  • A minimum of 50 attendees is recommended for a face-to-face presentation request.
  • All requests are subject to review and approval.
  • Request processing can take up to 14 working days.
  • Please submit your request at least three (3) weeks prior to the proposed date of the event.
  • Rescheduling will require a new request.
  • Presentations are typically 1 hour in length.

Request an event by clicking on the link below.

Surveyor Application Process 101 – Everything you need to know about becoming an RPLS in Texas.
This session will review the application requirements and processes for Surveyor-In-Training (SIT) and Registered Professional Land Surveyor (RPLS) applicants. This is not an ethics presentation and does not count toward ethics CE hours.
June 7, 2022, 6 p.m. CDT

Engineer and Surveyor Ethics Webinars
The next ethics webinars are June 8-9, 2022 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. CDT each day.
The Board is offering these one-hour, free ethics webinars to assist license and registration holders with meeting their ethics requirements. Each webinar provides an up-to-date overview of agency activities, case studies, and a review of professional ethics topics. Registration is open.
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Agency Vacancies
We have openings for an Investigator II. For job descriptions and instructions to apply visit:
TBPELS Board Members:
Dr. Sina K. Nejad, P.E., P.Eng. - Chair
Catherine Norwood, P.E. - Vice-Chair
Ademola Adejokun, P.E. - Secretary
Kiran Shah - Treasurer

Albert Cheng
Karen Friese, P.E.
Coleen M. Johnson, R.P.L.S.
Mark J. Neugebauer, R.P.L.S., L.S.L.S.
Rolando Rubiano, P.E.
Dr. Marguerite McClinton Stoglin