SB1818

Two routes: for an application under Occupations Code Section 55.004, the agency must promptly issue either a provisional license while processing the application or the license requested. That section covers qualifying military service members, veterans and spouses. The separate Section 55.0041 route concerns recognition of an out-of-state license for service members and spouses; SB1818 directs the agency to promptly issue confirmation or a provisional license pending confirmation. Military status alone does not create a general license to practice any occupation. Final law, Sections 1–2.

Duration and rules: the first temporary license ends when the application is approved or denied, or on day 180 after issuance, whichever comes first. Under the second route, it ends when confirmation is issued or denied, or on day 180, whichever comes first. The act says “promptly”; it does not itself set a fixed number of days for the initial response. Agencies were required to adopt implementing rules by December 1, 2025. This review does not establish whether each agency met that deadline. Final law, Sections 1–4.

Read alongside another 2025 law: HB5629 separately changed these same licensing sections, effective September 1. For new applications, it replaced the former substantially-equivalent-requirements test with a similar-scope-of-practice license in good standing from another state, while retaining the alternative of having held the Texas license within the preceding five years under Section 55.004. It also rewrote Section 55.0041’s application documents and added a different subsection numbered (b-1), requiring a response within 10 business days. SB1818’s confirmation cross-reference was written against the earlier wording; do not treat its text alone as a complete present-day application checklist or attribute HB5629’s changes to SB1818. The two enacted texts must be read together, and applicants should use their licensing agency’s current process. Final law; Related HB5629 final law, Sections 1–2 and 8–9.

What changed in the bill: the introduced version required provisional licenses. The Senate committee substitute added the alternatives of promptly issuing the actual license or confirmation, rather than always issuing a temporary license first. That wording survived unchanged in the Senate-passed, House committee and enrolled versions. The official amendment index lists no floor amendments. Introduced; Senate substitute; Senate-passed; House committee; Final law; Version index; Amendment index.

Compare the published text versions in the official text index. A change is not attributed to a specific amendment here without a verified record.

Qualifying military-connected applicants may be able to begin licensed work sooner instead of waiting without authorization. Agencies must process requests and track temporary-license expiration. This is not a promise of a permanent license, a job or unrestricted practice; a denial ends the temporary authorization. Final law.

The April 4 fiscal note for the substitute anticipates no significant state or local fiscal implication, assuming costs can be absorbed with existing resources. The earlier March 17 note for the introduced version estimated $1,455,629 in state general-revenue costs for 2026–2027 and 5.5 additional full-time-equivalent staff positions. That earlier estimate belongs to the superseded mandatory-temporary-license proposal, not the final wording. Neither estimate is an appropriation, and the final act does not itself appropriate funds. Substitute fiscal note; Introduced fiscal note; Final law.