Texas professional-license discipline is governed by Tex. Occupations Code Chapter 53 and each board’s enabling Act — the Educators’ Code (19 TAC Ch. 247–249), the Nursing Practice Act (Ch. 301), the Medical Practice Act (Ch. 151–165), and the various TDLR-administered chapters. A board can act on an arrest, indictment, deferred adjudication, or conviction independent of what happens in criminal court. We defend the criminal case and the administrative case on a coordinated parallel track so neither becomes a binding admission in the other.
When criminal charges collide with your license
The moment a Texas licensee is arrested, two cases begin running. The criminal case is filed in county or district court and follows the Code of Criminal Procedure. The administrative case opens inside the licensing board, often without notice to the licensee, and follows the Administrative Procedure Act (Tex. Gov’t Code Ch. 2001) and the board’s own rules of practice.
The collateral-consequences doctrine traditionally framed licensing fallout as a downstream consequence of criminal conviction. That framing is outdated. In modern Texas practice, the licensing board moves on the arrest, not the conviction. A nurse arrested on a DWI may receive a board notice before her first criminal court setting. A teacher under investigation for an alleged improper relationship may face an SBEC sanction proposal before a grand jury indicts. The licensing track is not waiting for the criminal track to finish.
That dynamic forces a strategic choice on day one. A plea of no contest in criminal court will be treated as a binding admission of fact in the administrative proceeding. A statement to the criminal investigator may surface in the board’s investigative file. A delay in self-reporting can independently violate a reporting rule even when the underlying charge is later dismissed. We coordinate both tracks from the first phone call — sequencing motions, plea timing, and self-report obligations so that defending one case never accidentally surrenders the other.
The five boards we see most often are the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC, administered by TEA), the Texas Board of Nursing (TBoN), the Texas Medical Board (TMB), the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), and the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC). The structural pattern across all five is the same: notice of investigation, an Informal Settlement Conference (ISC), and — if unresolved — a contested hearing at the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH), followed by a final board order subject to district-court appeal.
TEA/SBEC defense for Texas educators
Texas educator certification is administered by the State Board for Educator Certification under the supervision of the Texas Education Agency. Educator discipline is codified at 19 TAC Chapter 249 (Disciplinary Proceedings) and the Educators’ Code of Ethics at 19 TAC Chapter 247. Any teacher, principal, librarian, counselor, diagnostician, or paraprofessional with an SBEC-issued certificate is subject to TEA jurisdiction for the life of the certificate.
Certain offenses trigger automatic SBEC action. A criminal conviction for an offense involving a minor under Tex. Penal Code Title 5, Chapter 22 (offenses against the person), Chapter 21 (sexual offenses), or Chapter 43 (public indecency) is grounds for mandatory permanent revocation under 19 TAC § 249.17. Drug-trafficking convictions, family-violence convictions, and DWI within the educator’s scope of employment all trigger SBEC review. The TEA Office of General Counsel will issue a Notice of Investigation by certified mail, often before the district’s human-resources office completes its internal review.
The SBEC sanctions ladder
SBEC sanctions are graduated. The mildest is an inscribed reprimand — a public notation on the certificate that does not interrupt employment but stays in the record permanently. The next step is suspension — for a defined term, often six months to three years, with practice prohibited during the suspension period. Revocation is the next tier and can be temporary (with reinstatement eligibility after a defined period) or permanent (no reinstatement). The most severe sanction is permanent revocation with statutory ineligibility, reserved for offenses involving minors.
Each sanction tier has procedural protections. The educator is entitled to a hearing at SOAH if the proposed sanction goes beyond an inscribed reprimand. The hearing is on the record before an Administrative Law Judge and produces a Proposal for Decision. SBEC then issues a final order that the educator can appeal to a Travis County district court under the Administrative Procedure Act.
Mandatory-reporter rules and self-report timing
Educators are mandatory reporters of alleged educator misconduct under 19 TAC § 249.14. The district’s superintendent must report any alleged misconduct that may merit certification action to TEA within seven business days. A licensee who is the subject of the alleged misconduct has no comparable self-report obligation under SBEC rules — but cooperating with the district’s internal investigation can become a binding admission. Every educator facing a criminal allegation should retain counsel before participating in any district interview.
Texas Board of Nursing (BON) defense
Nursing is governed by the Nursing Practice Act, Tex. Occupations Code Chapter 301, and the Board’s rules of practice at 22 TAC Chapter 215 (Practice and Procedure) and Chapter 217 (Licensure). The TBoN regulates registered nurses (RN), licensed vocational nurses (LVN), advanced practice registered nurses (APRN), and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNA).
The TBoN takes a structured approach to criminal-collateral discipline. Under § 301.4521, the Board must consider whether the offense “directly relates” to the duties and responsibilities of nursing. Offenses involving fraud, theft, violence, sexual conduct, or controlled substances are presumed to relate directly. Other offenses — most DWIs, low-level drug possession, certain misdemeanors — require a fact-specific §53.022 analysis.
TPAPN as a non-disciplinary path
The Texas Peer Assistance Program for Nurses (TPAPN) is a confidential rehabilitation program for nurses whose practice is impaired by substance use or mental-health conditions. Successful TPAPN participation is, in the right case, a non-disciplinary alternative — the nurse retains the license, no public order issues, and after program completion the file closes without formal sanction. TPAPN is not appropriate in every case. It requires admission of impairment, daily monitoring, abstinence verification, and (depending on practice setting) work restrictions. We evaluate TPAPN eligibility at the first board interaction so the option is preserved if it fits.
NP/RN remedial paths and stipulated orders
The TBoN’s remedial toolkit includes warnings, reprimands, fines, probation, suspension, and revocation. The Board frequently offers stipulated orders — a settlement of the disciplinary case on agreed terms — in lieu of a contested SOAH hearing. A well-drafted stipulated order can resolve the case with a short probation period and no practice restriction, preserving employability. A poorly drafted one can impose a multi-year probation that effectively ends a hospital career. The negotiation of the stipulated order’s terms is where the case is often won or lost.
Texas Medical Board (TMB) defense
The Texas Medical Board regulates physicians (MD and DO), physician assistants, acupuncturists, medical radiologic technologists, and a handful of related licensures under the Medical Practice Act, Tex. Occupations Code Chapter 151 et seq. Board rules of practice appear at 22 TAC Chapters 161–200, with disciplinary procedure at Chapter 187.
TMB cases differ from other boards in two important ways. First, the TMB uses an Expert Panel review process. A complaint that survives initial screening is assigned to a panel of board-appointed physicians who review the medical record and make findings about standard-of-care compliance. Their findings drive the case. Second, the TMB’s Informal Settlement Conference (ISC) is conducted by a panel that includes a board member and a board representative — not just board staff. The ISC is the primary decision point in most TMB cases.
The ISC mitigation packet
An effective ISC presentation in a TMB matter is built around a written mitigation packet submitted in advance. The packet establishes who the physician is (training, board certifications, community standing), what happened (clinical context, patient-care factors, systems issues), and what has changed (CME completed, practice modifications, monitoring undertaken). Letters of support from colleagues, hospital privileges status, and peer-review history all support the packet. We have built ISC packets in cases ranging from prescribing-pattern reviews to criminal-collateral discipline; the structure is the same.
Expert-panel review and rebuttal
An expert panel finding adverse to the physician is not the end of the case. The physician’s counsel can submit a written rebuttal, including an opposing expert opinion, and request reconsideration. The case is then presented to the District Review Committee, which makes the recommendation that drives the ISC. Cases that go to SOAH from the ISC face de novo review of the panel findings — meaning the physician has another chance to challenge them with cross-examination and rebuttal evidence at the contested hearing.
TDLR defense — cosmetology, electrician, HVAC, polygraph, real-estate
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation administers more than thirty occupational and business licenses under various Occupations Code chapters. The most commonly encountered are cosmetologists and barbers (Ch. 1602–1603), electricians (Ch. 1305), HVAC contractors (Ch. 1302), property-tax consultants, polygraph examiners, towing operators, vehicle-storage facility employees, and tow-truck operators. TDLR rules of practice appear at 16 TAC Chapter 60 (Procedural Rules) and the program-specific chapters.
TDLR’s disciplinary structure is set by Tex. Occupations Code Chapter 51 (the umbrella TDLR statute) and Chapter 53 (criminal-history consideration). The Department’s Enforcement Division evaluates complaints, opens investigations, issues notices of alleged violations, and prosecutes contested cases at SOAH. Sanctions range from administrative penalties (fines), to license suspension and revocation, to permanent ineligibility for serious cases.
Chapter 53 “directly related” analysis
Section 53.022 of the Occupations Code requires every licensing authority — TDLR included — to consider whether a criminal offense “directly relates” to the duties of the licensed occupation before denying, suspending, or revoking on the basis of the offense. The five-factor test asks: (1) the nature and seriousness of the offense; (2) the relationship of the offense to the licensed activity; (3) the extent to which the license might offer an opportunity to engage in further similar criminal activity; (4) the relationship of the offense to the licensee’s ability or capacity to perform the duties of the occupation; and (5) any correlation between the elements of the offense and the duties of the occupation.
The fact-specific nature of the §53.022 analysis is where the practical defense work happens. A DWI conviction may “directly relate” to a tow-truck operator’s license but not to an electrician’s. A theft conviction may “directly relate” to a property-tax-consultant license but not to a cosmetologist’s. We build the §53.022 record around documentary evidence of the licensee’s actual job duties and the practical separation between the offense conduct and the licensed activity.
Process timeline + parallel-track strategy
The administrative track and the criminal track run on independent clocks. Coordinating them prevents one from becoming a binding admission in the other. The four critical decision points are below.
Notice of investigation arrives by certified mail
The licensee receives a written notice from the board describing the alleged conduct and inviting a response. Response deadlines are typically 21 to 45 days. The response sets the tone for the entire administrative case — a poorly drafted one can become a binding admission, while a strong one can close the file before formal proceedings open. Counsel should be retained before the response is filed.
ISC: the case’s primary decision point
The Informal Settlement Conference is a structured meeting between the licensee, counsel, and a board representative (and, for TMB, a board member panel). The licensee presents mitigation evidence; the board presents the investigative findings. The ISC produces a recommended sanction, often documented in a stipulated order. Most license cases resolve at the ISC stage. Cases that reject the ISC outcome proceed to SOAH.
Hearing before an Administrative Law Judge
Cases that do not resolve at the ISC are referred to the State Office of Administrative Hearings. SOAH hearings are on the record, governed by the Administrative Procedure Act (Tex. Gov’t Code Ch. 2001) and the agency’s rules of practice. The ALJ takes evidence, hears witnesses, and issues a Proposal for Decision. The board then enters a final order incorporating, modifying, or rejecting the ALJ’s findings.
Substantial-evidence review in Travis County district court
A licensee aggrieved by a final board order can seek judicial review under Tex. Gov’t Code § 2001.171 et seq. The appeal is filed in Travis County district court, reviewed on the administrative record, and decided under the “substantial evidence” standard. The reviewing court will not reweigh the evidence; it asks whether the board’s findings are supported by substantial evidence in the record. Appellate review of the district-court ruling proceeds to the Third Court of Appeals.
DFW counties we represent licensees in
L and L Law Group, PLLC defends licensees across the nine-county Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Our criminal practice in those counties feeds directly into our license-defense work — we know the local district attorneys, the judges, the diversion programs, and how the criminal-court outcomes will be read by the licensing boards. The administrative phase of license defense is venued in Austin (SOAH, board offices) and Travis County (district-court appeal), but the predicate criminal case is venued where the offense occurred.
| County | Major employers we serve | Primary courthouses |
|---|---|---|
| Collin | Frisco ISD, Plano ISD, McKinney ISD, Texas Health Resources, Methodist Health | Russell A. Steindam Courts, McKinney |
| Dallas | Dallas ISD, UT Southwestern, Parkland Hospital, Baylor Scott & White | Frank Crowley Courts Building, Dallas |
| Denton | Denton ISD, Lewisville ISD, Texas Health Presbyterian Denton | Denton County Courts, Denton |
| Tarrant | Fort Worth ISD, Arlington ISD, JPS Health, Texas Health Harris Methodist | Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center, Fort Worth |
| Rockwall | Rockwall ISD, Lake Pointe Health Network | Rockwall County Courthouse |
| Kaufman | Forney ISD, Kaufman ISD, Texas Health Kaufman | Kaufman County Courthouse |
| Ellis | Waxahachie ISD, Midlothian ISD, Baylor Scott & White Waxahachie | Ellis County Courthouse |
| Johnson | Cleburne ISD, Burleson ISD, Texas Health Cleburne | Johnson County Courthouse |
| Hunt | Greenville ISD, Commerce ISD, Hunt Regional Medical | Hunt County Courthouse |
Why L&L Law Group for license defense
Coordinated defense of a parallel criminal-administrative case is its own subspecialty within criminal-defense practice. It requires day-one strategy across two procedural systems, fluency with each board’s sanctions ladder, and the discipline to keep neither track from creating a record that buries the other. Reggie London (Texas Bar No. 24043514) and Njeri London (Texas Bar No. 24043266) are the co-founding partners of L and L Law Group, PLLC and personally handle every license-defense matter the firm takes.
Reggie’s background as a former Dallas County Assistant District Attorney informs the criminal track of every license case. He knows what the prosecution will value, what they will offer, and when a deferred adjudication or pretrial diversion can be structured to minimize licensing exposure. He is also admitted in the Northern District of Texas, the Eastern District of Texas, and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals — federal admissions that matter when a license case has a federal criminal predicate (mail fraud, wire fraud, healthcare fraud, controlled-substance trafficking, or any other federal offense whose finding would import into a state-board proceeding).
Njeri’s motion practice anchors the administrative side. Suppression motions, § 53.022 challenges, expert-panel rebuttals, and SOAH cross-examination of board investigators all draw on the same evidentiary discipline that powers the criminal motion docket. With more than 40 years combined criminal-defense experience and a coordinated husband-and-wife practice structure, every license-defense client gets two attorneys on the file from intake through final order — not a paralegal screen and a hand-off to a junior associate.
Defense strategies in detail
1. Parallel-track coordination
The criminal docket and the administrative docket follow different rules of procedure, evidence, and burden of proof. A statement to a criminal investigator may be admissible in the administrative hearing. A no-contest plea may be a binding admission. A self-report timed wrong can independently violate a reporting rule. We sequence every move — plea offers, motions, board responses, ISC scheduling — so that progress on one track never accidentally surrenders the other. Day-one coordination is the difference between two-front defense and two-front collapse.
2. Mitigation packets for the ISC
The Informal Settlement Conference resolves most license cases. The case is won or lost on the mitigation packet submitted in advance. The packet establishes who the licensee is (training, certifications, community standing), what happened (factual context, mitigating circumstances, lack of harm), and what has changed (rehabilitation, counseling, practice modifications). Letters of support, peer-review records, and continuing-education completion all support the packet. The packet is built like a sentencing memorandum — comprehensive, documentary, persuasive.
3. Section 53.022 “directly related” challenges
Before the board can impose discipline based on a criminal offense, § 53.022 of the Occupations Code requires a five-factor analysis of whether the offense “directly relates” to the duties of the licensed occupation. The factors include the nature of the offense, the time elapsed, the relationship to the licensed activity, the licensee’s rehabilitation, and any correlation between offense elements and job duties. A documented § 53.022 challenge — supported by job descriptions, employer statements, and rehabilitation evidence — can close the case before formal sanction is proposed.
4. Pre-charge DA negotiation
The best licensing outcome is often a criminal-track outcome — a pre-indictment dismissal, a pretrial diversion, or a class-reduction that takes the offense out of the “directly related” category. We negotiate with the District Attorney’s office before charges are filed, presenting the same mitigation that would later support an ISC packet but routed to a prosecutor who has discretion to decline or restructure the charge. A pre-charge dismissal removes the predicate the board would otherwise act on.
5. Voluntary surrender vs fight — cost-benefit analysis
Voluntary surrender is sometimes presented to licensees as a graceful exit. It is rarely the right move. A voluntary surrender is treated as a disciplinary action under board rules and is publicly reportable. Reinstatement is fact-bound, time-bound, and not guaranteed. Before any surrender, we run the cost-benefit: probability of ISC success, expected sanction range, employment impact, financial exposure, and reinstatement-pathway viability. In most cases, fighting through the ISC produces a better long-term outcome than surrender, even when the immediate optics feel worse.
6. Post-conviction record clearing × licensing interaction
Even after a license case resolves, post-conviction record clearing can change the licensing picture. Expunction under Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 55.01 erases the criminal record entirely; non-disclosure under Tex. Gov’t Code Ch. 411 seals it from most public access. Boards take different positions on whether sealed or expunged records can be considered in renewal proceedings, but the trend is to accept the protected record as out-of-bounds. We integrate record-clearing relief into the long-term licensing plan — sometimes filing for non-disclosure the day the deferred adjudication discharges.
7. Administrative-appeal preservation
Every motion, objection, and evidentiary ruling at the ISC and SOAH stages preserves — or surrenders — an issue for district-court appeal. A licensee who reaches a final board order without a preserved appellate record has effectively no remedy. We litigate the administrative case with the appeal in mind from day one: making the record, raising the objections, and preserving the legal issues that will support substantial-evidence review in Travis County district court if it becomes necessary.
Definitions
- SBEC
- State Board for Educator Certification. Administered by the Texas Education Agency. Issues, renews, suspends, and revokes Texas educator certificates. Disciplinary procedure at 19 TAC Chapter 249.
- TMB
- Texas Medical Board. Regulates physicians (MD/DO), physician assistants, acupuncturists, medical radiologic technologists, and related licensures under the Medical Practice Act, Tex. Occupations Code Chapter 151 et seq.
- TPAPN
- Texas Peer Assistance Program for Nurses. A confidential rehabilitation program for nurses whose practice is impaired by substance use or mental-health conditions. Successful participation can substitute for formal disciplinary sanction in the right case.
- SOAH
- State Office of Administrative Hearings. The independent forum that conducts contested administrative hearings for most Texas regulatory agencies, including all the major licensing boards. Hearings are on the record before an Administrative Law Judge.
- ISC (Informal Settlement Conference)
- A structured pre-hearing meeting between the licensee, counsel, and a board representative at which the licensee can present mitigation and the parties can resolve the disciplinary case by stipulated order without proceeding to SOAH.
- Directly-Related Test (Occupations Code § 53.022)
- The five-factor analysis a Texas licensing authority must perform before denying, suspending, or revoking a license on the basis of a criminal offense. Factors include the nature and seriousness of the offense, the time elapsed, the relationship to the licensed activity, the licensee’s rehabilitation, and any correlation between offense elements and job duties.
Statutory and regulatory authority
- Tex. Occupations Code Chapter 53 — Consequences of Criminal Conviction (umbrella criminal-history-consideration framework for all Texas occupational licensing).
- Tex. Occupations Code § 53.022 — the five-factor “directly related” test that governs whether a criminal offense supports licensing discipline.
- 19 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 249 — Disciplinary Proceedings, Sanctions, and Contested Cases for educator certification (administered by SBEC and TEA).
- 22 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 215 — Practice and Procedure before the Texas Board of Nursing, including ISC and SOAH-referral procedure.
- 22 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 187 — Disciplinary Procedure of the Texas Medical Board, including expert-panel review and ISC structure.
- Tex. Gov’t Code Chapter 2001 — the Administrative Procedure Act, governing SOAH contested hearings and district-court judicial review.
License at risk after a criminal allegation? Free consultation.
We coordinate the criminal and administrative tracks from day one so neither becomes a binding admission in the other. Direct attorney consultation for educators, nurses, physicians, and TDLR licensees.
Call (972) 370-5060Frequently asked questions
Does my employer have to report my arrest to the licensing board?
Depends on the board and the profession. Texas school districts have a seven-business-day report obligation to TEA for alleged educator misconduct under 19 TAC § 249.14(d). Hospitals and other healthcare employers have peer-review and Joint Commission reporting obligations that often funnel to the TBoN or TMB. TDLR-licensed employers vary by program. We assess employer-reporting risk on intake and coordinate the licensee’s response.
Can the board discipline me on a charge alone, without a conviction?
Yes. Boards routinely open investigations on arrest reports and indictments before any criminal-court disposition. The board can impose temporary or emergency restrictions, and in some cases full sanctions, based on the conduct underlying the charge — not on the criminal conviction. The fact that the criminal case is pending does not pause the administrative case.
Can I keep practicing while the criminal case is pending?
In most boards, yes — unless the board issues a temporary suspension or restriction. Emergency suspensions are rare and require a finding of imminent harm. For most arrests, the licensee continues to practice during the investigation phase. That said, employer-side restrictions (administrative leave, hospital privileges suspension, district reassignment) can interrupt practice even when the board has not acted.
Do I have to self-report the arrest? When?
Self-report obligations vary by board. The TBoN requires reporting of arrests within thirty days of the licensee’s knowledge under 22 TAC § 217.12(8). The TMB requires reporting in certain criminal-history disclosures at renewal and on demand. TDLR program rules vary widely. The SBEC does not impose a licensee self-report obligation but the district’s superintendent must report. We map self-report obligations at intake and meet every applicable deadline.
Is a deferred adjudication treated as a conviction for licensing purposes?
For most Texas boards, yes. Occupations Code § 53.021(a)(2) authorizes discipline based on deferred adjudication for offenses that “directly relate” to the licensed occupation. The deferred is not a conviction for criminal-record purposes, but it can be the predicate for administrative sanction. Choosing between trial, plea-to-conviction, and deferred adjudication is therefore not just a criminal-case calculation — it is a licensing decision too.
If my case is expunged, does that restore my license?
Not automatically, and not in every board. Expunction under Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 55.01 erases the criminal record, but the board may have already acted on the predicate conduct before the expunction issued. The trend is to accept that an expunged record cannot be the basis for renewal denial, but reinstatement of a previously revoked license is a separate proceeding with its own requirements. We integrate expunction and non-disclosure relief into a multi-year licensing plan.
Should I voluntarily surrender to avoid a public sanction?
Almost never as a first move. A voluntary surrender is itself a public disciplinary action and is reportable on multi-state licensing applications, hospital credentialing, and insurance carriers. Reinstatement after surrender is fact-bound and not guaranteed. In most cases, fighting through the ISC produces a better long-term outcome — either no sanction or a structured stipulated order that allows continued practice.
What’s the difference between an ISC and SOAH?
An Informal Settlement Conference (ISC) is an internal board proceeding where the licensee and counsel can resolve the case by stipulated order — no contested hearing, no judge, no Proposal for Decision. SOAH is the State Office of Administrative Hearings, an independent forum where unresolved cases are heard on the record before an Administrative Law Judge. Most cases resolve at the ISC; cases that go to SOAH are the harder fact disputes or cases where the proposed sanction is too severe to accept.
How does the district-court appeal work?
Final board orders are appealable to Travis County district court under Tex. Gov’t Code § 2001.171 et seq. The appeal is on the administrative record — no new evidence — and is decided under the “substantial evidence” standard. The reviewing court asks whether the board’s findings are supported by substantial evidence in the record, not whether the court would have reached the same conclusion. Appellate review of the district court’s decision proceeds to the Third Court of Appeals.
Does a criminal case automatically affect my license?
Not automatically — but in practice, almost always. The board is independent of the criminal court, and even a dismissal in criminal court does not bar administrative action on the underlying conduct. Conversely, a conviction in criminal court is not always a binding administrative finding (the board must still run the § 53.022 “directly related” analysis). The two cases interact in every direction, which is why coordinated parallel-track defense matters.
Will the disciplinary order be public?
Most final board orders are public record under the Texas Public Information Act and the board’s own publication rules. SBEC orders are searchable in the Educator Certification online system; TBoN orders appear in a public disciplinary database; TMB orders are published in the Newsletter and online. Some pre-charge resolutions (declinations, closures without sanction) can avoid the public-record problem entirely — another reason to engage counsel early.
Can I get licensed in another state if I have a Texas board action?
Multi-state reciprocity is fact-specific. The Nurse Licensure Compact, the federation of state medical boards, the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, and many other multistate frameworks share licensee discipline information. A Texas sanction will typically surface on every reciprocity application. The right defense strategy considers reciprocity from day one — sometimes a different sanction structure preserves multi-state mobility that would otherwise be lost.
In our practice defending Texas licensees, we have represented educators in SBEC contested cases, nurses in TBoN ISCs and SOAH hearings, physicians in TMB expert-panel and ISC proceedings, and TDLR licensees across the cosmetology, electrician, HVAC, and tow-operator programs. Reggie’s prosecutor background in Dallas County means we know the State’s evidentiary playbook on the criminal track; Njeri’s motion practice anchors the suppression-driven and §53.022-driven defense work on the administrative track. Both tracks. One coordinated case.
About the Authors
Recent developments in Texas license defense
SB 1716 (2023): Occupations Code § 53 update
Texas LegislatureThe 2023 update narrows when an arrest alone can support sanction, requiring boards to make additional findings before acting on pre-conviction information.
TBoN 22 TAC § 217.12 self-report timing
Effective 2024Clarification of the thirty-day arrest-report obligation and what knowledge triggers the reporting clock for advanced-practice nurses.
SBEC 19 TAC § 249.17 sanctions ladder
Current ruleMandatory permanent revocation for educators convicted of offenses involving a minor under Penal Code Title 5 chapters 21, 22, and 43.
TMB expert-panel rebuttal procedure
22 TAC Ch. 187A physician’s written response and opposing expert opinion can support reconsideration before the District Review Committee.
TDLR Chapter 51 fair-notice framework
2023 reformNotice and opportunity-to-respond standardization across all TDLR programs before contested-case referral to SOAH.
Travis County substantial-evidence trend
Recent decisionsTexas appellate courts continue to apply “substantial evidence” deferentially — reinforcing that the administrative-hearing record is the appellate record.
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