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TSPS Chapter Golf Tournament
Monday, June 20, 2011
9:00am
Hearthstone Country Club
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Chapter 9 Trig*Star Awards
Our top two finishers are from The Woodlands College Park High School.
Ms. Briseno (teacher), Derek Peirce (1st Place) & Anthony Dao (2nd Place) received their awards at our latest Chapter Dinner Meeting held at Lone Star College. 
Derek Peirce scored a perfect 100% in only 19 minutes and 29 seconds.
Contact the Education Chairman to request information on next year's contest.
Please refer any Math teachers and/or Guidance Counselors
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2011 Chapter 9 Picnic
Houston Zoo & Hermann Park
Saturday, May 14th
9:00am - 12:30pm
Questions?
contact the Picnic chairman located at "Chapter 9 Committees" tab to the right
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2011 TSPS Softball Tournament Results
1st = Brown & Gay Engineers
2nd = Lipps & Associates
3rd = HDR l Claunch & Miller
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Chapter 13 has invited Chapter 9 to their member lunch meeting with guest speakers Mark Hanna, TSPS Legal Counsel & Pat Smith, Chairman TSPS Government Affairs Committee to discuss the latest Legislative news.
Flyer - Thursday, March 17, 2011 (Lunch)
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TSPS Slow Pitch Softball Tournament!
April 9, 2011
Entry Form
Deadline to sign-up is March 25th
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February 8, 2011 from the Houston Chronicle.
(From Houston Chronicle) AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry will ask the Legislature on Tuesday to indefinitely suspend funding for four Texas agencies and consolidate the functions of dozens more as part of a sweeping budget plan that would make deep spending reductions across state government.
Funding for the Texas Historical Commission and the Texas Commission on the Arts would be eliminated altogether, according to a summary of Perry's top government efficiency proposals obtained by The Associated Press ahead of Perry's State of the State address on Tuesday. ... Two smaller agencies, the Board of Professional Geoscientists and the Board of Professional Land Surveying — which oversee licensing requirements for people in those professions — would also disappear under a list of "suspensions/consolidations" that will accompany the governor's budget proposal to the Legislature, documents obtained by the AP show.
Read the full article at the Houston Chronicle website.
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February 8, 2011 from the desk of John Watson, TSPS President
Dear Fellow TSPS Members,
As some of you are aware we received notice from Governor Rick Perry's Office as well as from public sources that the Governor's Office has proposed the possible suspension of the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying. TSPS and the Government Affairs Committee have been in communication with TBPLS and are monitoring this situation. At this time we are gathering as much detail as we can concerning the true proposed plans/intentions of the Governor's Office.
Contained in the Governor's Draft budget (released after this morning's State of the State address) is a statement to: Suspend the Board of Professional Land Surveying, saving $881,000 in addition to the reductions proposed by the Legislature. TSPS is securing appointments with key leaders in the House and Senate to determine what options may be available.
I assure you that TSPS is taking this situation very seriously and will keep our membership informed as new information arrives.
Sincerely,
John F. Watson, RPLS
President
Texas Society of Professional Surveyors
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January 11, 2011 Chapter Dinner Meeting Report.
The Gulf Coast Chapter 9 regular bi-monthly meeting was held on January 11, 2011 at the Saltgrass Steakhouse. Approximately 45 members attended the meeting with Chapter President Walt Sass presiding. Educational assistance checks were presented to University of Houston, Montgomery College and P.S.E.F.I. totaling $6,500.00. In addition, President Sass announced and introduced the Chapter officers and board members for 2011. The program for the evening was updates from the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveyors, by Paul Kwan, R.P.L.S. and TBPLS Board member. Mr. Kwan is also involved in updating the complaints process and educated our Chapter members about the new 12 Continuing Education Unit requirement for License renewal. He also handed out information which will be available soon on the TBPLS web site regarding acceptable CEU's and non-acceptable CEU's.
Highlights of Mr. Kwan's briefing were:
1. In the very near future the public will be able to see all of each licensed surveyors complaints from first to current just by going to the roster. This is part of the TBPLS transparency initiative.
2. All complaints will be reviewed by a panel consisting of a TBPLS Public Member, Registered Member, the TPLS Investigator and the TBPLS Executive Director. This review will judge whether the complain moves forward or is deemed frivolous and not further addressed.
3. Methods and means to obtain the required 12 CEU's. Forms for download are at the bottom of this report. Since the TBPLS will not keep track of your accrued CEU's each year but will audit members, it is recommended that you use the RPLS Continuing Education Log and be prepared to explain and document any CEU's you obtain. Their is also information about "self-directed study" which must meet certain criteria as spelled out in the download. There is also an explanation of the legislative directive to TBPLS related to the state law requirements for CEU's and the October 15, 2010 minutes related to the rule in effect to meet the state law. It was impressed upon the audience that documentation must be kept by the licensee regarding CEU's. Mr. Kwan also gave examples of punitive actions the TBPLS will be taking for those that fail to meet the audit requirements including but not limited to suspension of license.
Overall the meeting was a success and adjourned at 8:30 P.M.
Reported by
L. A. "Bud" Thompson, R.P.L.S.