TFSC News & Things to Know

TFSC RETIREMENTS

Blll Vanneste (Inspector) retired on February 28, 2017, after 15 years with the agency. Martha Gussoni (Executive Assistant and Administrator of Licensing) retired on March 31, 2017, after 17 years with the agency. With a combined service of over 30 years, their institutional knowledge will be greatly missed.

With the directive by the Governor to freeze hiring, the agency is unable to say when these two employees will be replaced. Please be patient with the remaining 10 staff members as we work to cover the duties left unmanned by these retirements.

PROPOSED CHANGES TO TITLE 22, PART 10 TEX. ADMIN. CODE

TFSC held a stakeholders’ meeting to discuss changes to the following rules on Friday, February 10th. The issues below are still under discussion:

Continuing education – NOTE: This propsal will be tabled while the Commission researches continuing education requirements in other states.
Score needed to Pass NBE/SBE/MLE – 22 Tex. Admin. Code. Chp. 203.5 proposal - NOTE: This proposal will be tabled while the Commission explores all options for developing and administering an exam to measure competency.
Digital copies of Facts about Funerals – 22 Tex. Admin. Code. Chp 203.26 proposal - Working Draft - No action taken by the Commission at the March 21, 2017 meeting.

The following proposal was adopted by the Commission at the March 21, 2017 meeting and will be submitted to the Texas Registrar for public comment.

Display of license – 22 Tex. Admin. Code. Chp 203.24 proposal - Final Draft

Please feel free to share your thoughts and/or concerns regarding any of these changes via email to the Executive Director.

MORTUARY LAW EXAM

Each individual who takes the online Mortuary Law Exam must accept the Legal Attestation under penalties of law and Commission action. If evidence is presented of cheating, Commission action could include the loss of a license or the refusal to issue a license.

REACHING TFSC STAFF

When a person calls the main line he/she will hear a recorded message which states "You have reached TFSC, please wait while I transfer your call." At that point the call is transferred to licensing staff. The agency has three people responsible for answering the phone. If those three people are on the phone or away from their desks, the call then transfers to the agency voice mail.

A person can also send an email to any of TFSC staff. All direct lines and email addresses are on the Staff Contacts page.

The TFSC does not staff the online renewal center and online helpdesk. The HPC help-desk states it can take multiple days to respond to a help ticket, especially near the end of the month. The help-desk only responds to emailed help requests. TFSC licensing staff is able to help with resetting passwords or emails for the online renewal system. Contact Nikki Smith at nikki@tfsc.texas.gov for assistance.

OPEN MEETINGS

The TFSC meets quarterly - usually on the second Tuesday of every third month (March, June, September, December). Meetings are held in Austin, Texas, at the Hobby Building. Once posted, TFSC meeting agendas may be found by clicking on the following website: Texas Secretary of State Open Meetings. Type in Texas Funeral Service Commission in the “Agency Name” field and hit “Find.”

Upcoming meetings are scheduled as follows (subject to change):