September 28, 2021
In This Issue

Reduced Fees
Board and Committee Meetings
Continuing Education Reminder
87th Legislative Session
Exam News
Webinars and Outreach
Reduced Fees - Effective 9/1/21
Based on an analysis of the combined agency budget and operational efficiencies, the Board has approved a significant reduction in the RPLS annual renewal fee from $100 to $40 per year. This fee change will begin with the December 31, 2021, renewal. In total, the Board has been able to reduce the RPLS renewal fee over the past two budget cycles from $174 to $40. This brings the RPLS renewal fee in line with the PE renewal fee. In addition, the Board reduced other application fees for both engineers and surveyors.

  • RPLS Active Renewal Fees reduced from $100 to $40
  • SIT Application Fees reduced from $80 to $15
  • RPLS Application Fees reduced from $80 to $75
  • LSLS Application Fees reduced from $80 to $75
  • PE Application Fees reduced from $80 to $75
Board and Committee Meetings
August 26, 2021, Board and Committee Meetings
Meetings were held virtually and streamed via YouTube. Agendas, minutes, and recordings are available at https://pels.texas.gov/boardmeetings.htm
New Board Officers
In the August 26th meeting, the nominating committee elected new Board officers. New officers are the following:
Catherine Norwood, P.E., Vice-Chair
Ademola Adejokun, P.E., Secretary
Kiran Shah, Treasurer

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 November 17-18, 2021. 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.
Continuing Education Reminder
As the end of the year is approaching and the holidays will soon be upon us, this is a reminder regarding the continuing education requirements for engineers and especially surveyors who must all renew before 12/31/21.
  • For P.E.s, 15 hours of continuing education, at least one of which must be an hour of ethics, are required for each renewal cycle.
  • For R.P.L.S., 12 hours of continuing education, at least three of which must be ethics hours, are required for each renewal cycle. Online renewals will open on November 1, 2021.
  • For additional information refer to https://pels.texas.gov/cep.htm
 87th Legislative Session
TBPELS staff is continuing to monitor the special sessions for any bills which refer to Professional Engineering or Professional Land Surveying directly or have a direct impact on the practice of those professions.
Exam News

Engineer Exams
  • The October administration will be a two-day event with exams offered each day.
  • The PE Civil exam will have its last paper administration in October 2021. Beginning November 1, 2021, examinees will be able to register and schedule computer-based testing (CBT) appointments, which will be available year-round starting on April 1, 2022.
  • The PE 16-hour Structural exam will be offered in paper and pencil format regionally beginning with the April 2022 administration.
  • The PE Agricultural and Biological exam will transition to computer-based testing in October 2021.
  • The PE Electrical and Computer exam will transition to computer-based testing in October 2021.
  • October 21-22, 2021 - PE and SE Exams
  • Exam Prep Materials - https://ncees.org/exams/exam-preparation-materials/ Refer to NCEES for specific exam dates and deadlines.

Land Surveyor Exams
September 10, 2021 - Registration/Exam Fee Deadline
October 22, 2021 - Exam Day
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.

Schedule your event by clicking on the link below.

Ethics Webinars
The next webinar is on October 7, 2021.
The Board is offering these one-hour, free ethics webinars to assist licensees 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.
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Vacancies

Agency Positions
TBPELS has an opening for an Investigator. Refer to the page link below for the job descriptions and instructions to apply.

Technical Experts Needed
We are looking for qualified technical experts to assist the Board in making effective determinations on engineering and surveying enforcement cases.

We are currently accepting resumes of Texas Licensed Professional Engineers (PE), Texas Registered Professional Land Surveyors (RPLS), and Licensed State Land Surveyors (LSLS) who are experts in their field.

Refer to the website for information and instructions to submit your resume.
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
Lamberto Ballí, P.E.
Albert Cheng
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