Texas forensic evidence CME: who needs it, when it starts, and which courses count

Key facts: forensic evidence CME (HB 47)

Hours

2 (Occ. Code §156.057; 22 TAC §161.35(a)(3)(A))

Who

Practice includes treating patients in an ER setting; TMB adds urgent care. Your work setting decides, not your specialty (TMB CE page)

Must take

Physicians board certified by ABEM, AOBEM or BCEM (TMB CE page)

Starts

Licenses expiring Feb. 28, 2027, because no approved course existed (TMB CE page; TMB Quick FAQs; Governor's SASTF page)

Approved by

Governor's Sexual Assault Survivors' Task Force (SASTF) only (Tex. Reg., Aug. 28, 2026; TMB CE page)

Formal or informal

Either, as designated by the course provider (TMB CE page)

Approved courses now

None listed by TMB as of Oct. 17, 2026 (TMB CE page; TMB Quick FAQs)

Not in an ER?

File the "Not Working in an ER Setting" attestation in CE Broker (TMB CE page; CE Broker exemptions)

CE Broker status

Texas page shows "Forensic Evidence CME (*reporting temporarily disabled)" (checked Oct. 17, 2026) (CE Broker Texas page)

Last verified October 17, 2026. Not affiliated with TMB, SASTF or CE Broker.

Who needs forensic evidence CME in Texas?

Physicians whose practice includes treating patients in an emergency room setting must complete it, and TMB's guidance extends that to urgent care. What counts is where you actually work, not your specialty. TMB says physicians board certified by ABEM, AOBEM or BCEM must take it. Everyone else who doesn't work in those settings files an attestation in CE Broker.

The statute and TMB word it differently, so here are both:

• The statute: a physician "whose practice includes treating patients in an emergency room setting shall complete at least two hours" (Tex. Occ. Code §156.057).
• TMB: the requirement "is directed at those physicians and physician assistants working in the ER or urgent care centers," and "the determinative factor is not your specialty but actually acting or being assigned as an ER or urgent care physician" (TMB CE requirements).

The safe reading is TMB's, since TMB runs renewal. TMB also lists specialties that "may be subject" to the course: Critical Care Medicine (IM), Critical Care Medicine (OBGYN), Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Medicine, Emergency/Trauma Radiology, Family Practice–Emergency Med, Internal Med–Emergency Med, Pediatric Emergency Medicine (EM), Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEDS), Sports Medicine–Emergency Med, Urgent Care–Family Practice, and Urgent Care Medicine. TMB notes it can't see individual patient encounters, which is why it built the list by specialty.

TMB applies the same requirement to physician assistants. This site covers MDs and DOs only.

When does the Texas forensic evidence CME requirement start?

It starts with physician licenses that expire on February 28, 2027. HB 47 applies to renewals on or after September 1, 2026, but TMB delayed it because no approved course existed. Licenses expiring November 30, 2026 don't need it. If you renew in the February 2027 wave and work in an ER or urgent care, plan for it now.

TMB hasn't said what happens if no course is approved before the February 2027 renewal window opens (about November 30, 2026). Check TMB's CE page before you renew. February renewers: see the February 28, 2027 checklist.

Which forensic evidence courses count in Texas?

Only courses approved by the Governor's Sexual Assault Survivors' Task Force (SASTF) satisfy the requirement. TMB will publish the approved list on its CE page as SASTF approves courses, and providers must submit approved courses to CE Broker's course directory. As of October 17, 2026, TMB lists no approved course, so no course can yet be called compliant.

By statute, the 2 hours must cover (Tex. Occ. Code §156.057(a)):

1. Trauma-informed care for sexual assault survivors
2. Appropriate community referrals and prophylactic medications
3. Survivor rights under Code of Criminal Procedure ch. 56A, including the chance to request an advocate and a forensic medical exam
4. Forensic evidence collection methods
5. State law on the custody, transfer and tracking of forensic evidence

TMB says the certificate from an approved course must show that SASTF approved it. The Governor's office lists background resources, such as the Texas Evidence Collection Protocol, on its SASTF page for healthcare professionals. Those resources aren't approved HB 47 courses.

Forensic exam training is a different rule. Some courses sold as forensic evidence collection training for Texas providers were built for physicians who perform sexual assault forensic exams. That's a separate, older requirement tied to Health & Safety Code §323.0045 (now 22 TAC §161.35(f)). Don't count any course toward HB 47 unless it appears on TMB's list.

Is there a free forensic evidence CME course for Texas physicians?

Not yet, because no course of any price has been approved. TMB hasn't listed any SASTF-approved forensic evidence course as of October 17, 2026. Courses marketed as Texas forensic training before the list appears may not count toward HB 47. Check TMB's continuing education page for the official list before you pay for or take a course.

We'll add each approved course here, with its provider, cost and credit type as TMB lists them, when the list posts.

I don't work in an ER. What do I do in CE Broker?

File the not-working-in-an-ER-setting attestation in CE Broker. TMB says it automatically removes the forensic evidence requirement from your list. CE Broker's Texas overview says the requirement is on by default, so without the attestation your status may stay Not Complete even when your other CME is done.

CE Broker's help center describes the steps (CE Broker exemptions):

1. Log in, click View Details, then + Report CE.
2. Open the Additional Options tab and pick your current licensing period.
3. Find the attestation and click Report, then answer the prompts and submit.

TMB calls it "Not Working in an ER Setting." CE Broker's help center calls it "Attestation of Not Practicing in an ER Setting." Use whichever label your account shows. Only file it if it's true for your practice.

How do I report forensic evidence CME in CE Broker?

When you complete an approved course, report it in CE Broker under the forensic evidence category and attach the certificate showing SASTF approval. As of October 17, 2026, CE Broker's Texas page shows forensic evidence reporting as temporarily disabled, so check again before your renewal window opens. Report early; renewal stays blocked until CE Broker shows Complete.

CE Broker's Texas overview says the category will stay disabled until approved coursework is available (CE Broker Texas overview). General reporting steps: How to report CME in CE Broker. Stuck on Not Complete? See why CE Broker says "Not Complete".

Does forensic evidence CME count toward my 48 hours?

It can, depending on how the course is designated. TMB accepts formal or informal forensic courses, as the provider designates them, and CE Broker's Texas overview says the credits "can count towards CAT I depending on the approval type." We'll confirm how CE Broker counts them once an approved course exists. We don't yet know whether the hours can be carried forward.

Rule history

• Statute: the current Tex. Occ. Code §156.057, as amended by HB 47 (89th Legislature, effective September 1, 2025), says covered physicians "shall complete" the 2 hours (Texas Legislature).
• TMB rule: the §161.35(a)(3)(A) amendment was adopted in the Texas Register on August 28, 2026, effective September 3, 2026. TMB recognizes any course found acceptable to SASTF. A specialty society asked TMB to clarify that physicians who don't specialize in emergency medicine aren't covered; TMB declined and pointed to the CE Broker attestation process instead (Texas Register, Aug. 28, 2026).
• Start date: TMB set the start at licenses expiring February 28, 2027 because no approved course existed (TMB CE requirements).

We update this post when TMB posts the SASTF list, CE Broker turns forensic reporting back on, or TMB changes the start date. Related: New Texas CME requirements for 2027, what's new in the full requirements guide, forensic courses on our Find CME page, renewal dates.