TITLE 22. EXAMINING BOARDS
PART 24. TEXAS BOARD OF VETERINARY MEDICAL EXAMINERS
CHAPTER 571. LICENSING
SUBCHAPTER
A.
The Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation (Commission), on behalf of the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (TBVME), adopts an amendment to an existing rule at 22 Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Chapter 571, Subchapter A, §571.7, regarding Licensing, without changes to the proposed text as published in the November 15, 2024, issue of the Texas Register (49 TexReg 9181). This rule will not be republished.
EXPLANATION OF AND JUSTIFICATION FOR THE RULES
The rules under 22 TAC, Chapter 571, implement Texas Occupations Code, Chapter 801, Veterinary Licensing Act.
The proposed rule extends the time period in which an applicant for a veterinary license who has not yet graduated from veterinary medical school must obtain a document confirming their expected graduation date in order to apply for the State Board Examination (SBE) from 60 days to 120 days. This proposed rule change was suggested by a major stakeholder, Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine (Texas Tech), to align with their schedule for students in their final year of school. Texas Tech fourth-year students spend most of their year at externships throughout the state but return to the campus in February of the year they graduate. Texas Tech, in an attempt to limit costs to their students, wants to proctor a SBE for their graduating students in February while the students are all on campus. By allowing the students to obtain a document confirming their expected graduation date 120 days prior to graduation, this allows Texas Tech students to take the SBE on campus in February prior to their graduation. This change will also benefit all graduating veterinary students, both in-state and out-of-state, in that it allows them to take the SBE sooner.
SECTION-BY-SECTION SUMMARY
The adopted rule amends §571.7(f)(1) to extend the time period in which an applicant for a veterinary license who has not yet graduated from veterinary medical school must obtain a document confirming their expected graduation date in order to apply for the State Board Examination (SBE) from 60 days to 120 days.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
The proposed rule was published in the November 15, 2024, issue of the Texas Register (49 TexReg 9181). The public comment period closed on December 16, 2024. The Department did not receive any comments from interested parties on the proposed rule.
BOARD RECOMMENDATIONS AND COMMISSION ACTION
The Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners met on February 20, 2025, to discuss the proposed rule. The Board recommended that the Commission adopt the proposed rule as published in the Texas Register . At its meeting on April 9, 2025, the Commission adopted the proposed rules as recommended by the Advisory Board.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY
The adopted rule is adopted under the authority of Texas Occupations Code, Chapters 51 and 801, which authorizes the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation, the Department's governing body, to adopt rules as necessary to implement these chapters and any other law establishing a program regulated by the Department.
The statutory provisions affected by the adopted rule are those set forth in Texas Occupations Code, Chapters 51 and 801. No other statutes, articles, or codes are affected by the adopted rules.
The agency certifies that legal counsel has reviewed the adoption and found it to be a valid exercise of the agency's legal authority.
Filed with the Office of the Secretary of State on April 25, 2025.
TRD-202501349
Doug Jennings
General Counsel
Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
Effective date: May 15, 2025
Proposal publication date: November 15, 2024
For further information, please call: (512) 475-4879