1. (a) All full-time or part-time employees of a fire department or local government assigned duties identified as fire protection personnel duties must maintain certification by the commission in the discipline(s) to which they are assigned for the duration of their assignment.
2. (b) In order to maintain the certification required by this section, the certificate(s) of the employees must be renewed annually by complying with §437.5 of this title (relating to Renewal Fees) and Chapter 441 of this title (relating to Continuing Education) of the commission standards manual.
3. (c) Except for subsection (d) of this section, an individual whose certificate has been expired for one year or longer may not renew the certificate previously held. To obtain a new certification, an individual must meet the requirements in Chapter 439 of this title (relating to Examinations for Certification).
4. (d) A military service member whose certificate has been expired for three years or longer may not renew the certificate previously held. To obtain a new certification, the person must meet the requirements in Chapter 439 of this title (relating to Examinations for Certification). In order to qualify for this provision, the individual must have been a military service member at the time the certificate expired and continued in that status for the duration of the three year period.
5. (e) The commission will provide proof of current certification to individuals whose certification has been renewed.
6. (f) All certificate holders are subject to the requirements of §57.491 of the Texas Education Code regarding license renewal and default on student loans.

Source Note:The provisions of this §421.17 adopted to be effective March 5, 2002, 27 TexReg 1533; amended to be effective November 20, 2002, 27 TexReg 10747; amended to be effective August 10, 2009, 34 TexReg 5411; amended to be effective December 18, 2012, 37 TexReg 9783; amended to be effective February 10, 2016, 41 TexReg 980.