Continuing Education

You must obtain 10 hours over your 2-year certification period. Of that 2 1/2 hours must be in ethics, Texas rules, or both. 

Effective 04/12/2018, under section 6.9 (a) of the JBCC Rules, a certified court reporter may carry forward to the next certification period up to 4 hours of  approved continuing education. Special category CE (i.e., ethics/rules) cannot be carried forward.

The Commission does not track CE hours. Licensees can verify total CE hours by referring to their certificates of attendance. Please note that under Rule 4.3 (g) of the JBCC Rules, you must keep a copy of the CE documentation for a period of three years after completion of the course.

To see a list of programs that have been approved by the Commission you must search for the courses via the online certification and licensing system located on our home page. It is not a complete list of all programs in the State of Texas. Rather, it is just a list of courses that have been submitted to and approve by the JBCC.

Please refer to the pdf “Guide to Using the Online System” for step-by-step instructions on how to search for approved CE courses. 

If a course you want to take is not on the list, you must submit an application for course approval to the Commission. Your application will be reviewed to determine if, based on the rules, it would be approved and, if so, for how many hours. You must apply for course approval through the online certification and licensing system. 

If you wish to use an NCRA approved program towards your CE requirements, you must submit an application for course approval. You must apply for course approval through the online certification and licensing system. 

Refer to the pdf Guide to Using the Online System, located on the home page of our website, for instructions on how to apply for CE approval.

No. Attendees can submit their applications prior to or after the program.

Applications are processed as soon as possible in the order received. Also, please remember that course approvals must be submitted  no later than 2 months before your certification expires.

There are no provisions in rule to waive the CE requirement.

No. Please refer to the Rules 4.3 and 6.9 for information on what is and is not acceptable for Texas court reporter CE requirements.

Credit can only be given for actual attendance time. If the program is only 1.5 hours in duration, but NCRA gives you 3 hours of credit for it, only 1.5 hours may be eligible to apply towards your Texas certification.

There are no fees for course approval.

You must report the JBCC approved CE courses you've taken when you apply for renewal of your certification. You must also upload copies of your certificates of attendance to your renewal application as well.

No. Continuing education requirements are for renewing their certification. Under the rules, provisional certifications cannot be renewed.