| (a) Natural persons. Licenses to manage a BET facility
shall be issued only to natural persons.
(1) Prerequisites. No individual may be licensed until
the individual has satisfactorily completed all required BET training
and otherwise continues to satisfy the criteria for entry into BET.
(2) Issuance. A license issued by the Agency shall
contain the name of the licensee and the date of issue. The license
shall be signed by the VRD director and the BET director on behalf
of the Agency and the State of Texas.
(3) Display. The license or a copy of the license shall
be displayed prominently in each BET facility to which the manager
is assigned.
(4) Property right. A license shall not create any
property right for the licensee to state or federal property including
state- or federally-owned equipment.
(5) Transferability. A license is not transferable.
(6) Term. A license issued by the Agency shall be valid
for an indefinite period, subject, however, to termination or revocation
under conditions specified in these rules that pertain to termination
of a license for reasons other than unsatisfactory performance or
administrative action.
(b) Annual continuing education requirements for licensees:
(1) The Agency and ECM conduct an annual training conference
for all licensees to inform them of new BET developments and to provide
instruction on relevant topics to enhance licensees' business competence
and upward mobility in the program. Licensees must attend the Agency's
training conference or an Agency-approved alternative training event
every year to maintain their licenses and eligibility to bid on available
facilities. They must document their attendance at the Agency training
conference by signing attendance records provided at the conference.
A licensee who is unable to attend the Agency training conference
may satisfy the continuing education requirement by attending a BET-approved
course or training conference. Such training includes, but is not
limited to, attending the national training conferences for blind
vendors conducted by the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America or by
the National Association of Blind Merchants, or by completing a business-related
course from the Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired
or a business-related course offered by an accredited community college.
(2) Licensees wishing to attend an alternative training
course or conference must request approval through their local Agency
staff. The local Agency staff forwards the request to the BET director
for approval. The licensee must also provide proof of successful completion
of any business-related course or attendance at a training conference
through the local Agency staff to the BET director to receive credit
for attendance. All costs associated with travel, lodging, meals,
and registration when attending any training other than the Agency
training conference will be the responsibility of the licensee.
(3) Licensees may use an alternative approved training
course or training conference to satisfy the continuing education
requirement only if they are unable to attend the Agency training
conference because of personal medical reasons, the death of a family
member, a medical emergency or serious medical condition of an immediate
family member, or if there is not an Agency training conference offered
during the licensee's 12-month evaluation period. Licensees must provide
written documentation of the medical issues or death of a family member
to their local Agency staff.
(4) Licensees who fail to complete continuing education
requirements may be subject to administrative action up to and including
termination of their licenses.
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