Section 651.5 - Forensic Disciplines Subject to Commission Accreditation(a) Forensic analysis/recognized accreditation. This section describes a forensic discipline or category of analysis that involves forensic analysis for use in a criminal proceeding and for which accreditation is available from a recognized accrediting body.(b) By discipline. A crime laboratory may apply for Commission accreditation for one or more of the following disciplines:(1) Seized Drugs. Categories of analysis may include one or more of the following: qualitative determination, quantitative measurement, weight measurement, and volume measurement;(2) Toxicology. Categories of analysis may include one or more of the following: qualitative determination and quantitative measurement;(3) Forensic Biology. Categories of analysis may include one or more of the following: DNA-STR, DNA-YSTR, DNA-Mitochondrial, DNA-massively parallel sequencing, body fluid identification, relationship testing, microbiology, individual characteristic database, and nucleic acids other than human DNA;(4) Firearms/Toolmarks. Categories of analysis may include one or more of the following: physical comparison, determination of functionality, length measurement, trigger pull force measurement, qualitative chemical determination, distance determination, ejection pattern determination, product (make/model) determination;(5) Materials (Trace). Categories of analysis may include one or more of the following: physical determination, chemical determination, physical/chemical comparison, product (make/model) determination, gunshot residue analysis, footwear and tire tread analysis, and fire debris and explosives analysis (qualitative determination); or(6) Other discipline and its related categories of analysis if accredited by a recognized accrediting body and approved by the Commission.(c) Cross-disciplines and categories of analysis. A laboratory may choose to assign a particular discipline or category of analysis to a different administrative section or unit in the laboratory than the designation set forth in this subchapter.(d) If an accreditation for a category of analysis is accompanied by the term 'only' or a similar notation, the Commission will deem the accreditation to exclude other categories of analysis in that discipline.(e) Accreditation of a confirmation test procedure does not carry automatic accreditation of an associated field, spot, screening, or other presumptive test.37 Tex. Admin. Code § 651.5
The provisions of this §651.5 adopted to be effective June 1, 2010, 35 TexReg 4438; amended to be effective August 19, 2010, 35 TexReg 7079; transferred effective September 1, 2015, as published in the Texas Register July 31, 2015, 40 TexReg 4907; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 40, Number 51, December 18, 2015, TexReg 9306, eff. 12/24/2015; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 42, Number 40, October 6, 2017, TexReg 5489, eff. 10/8/2017; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 43, Number 03, January 19, 2018, TexReg 0357, eff. 1/23/2018; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 43, Number 18, May 4, 2018, TexReg 2798, eff. 5/8/2018; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 43, Number 49, December 7, 2018, TexReg 7909, eff. 12/16/2018; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 44, Number 28, July 12, 2019, TexReg 3549, eff. 7/15/2019; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 45, Number 14, April 3, 2020, TexReg 2318, eff. 4/5/2020; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 46, Number 27, July 2, 2021, TexReg 4025, eff. 7/11/2021; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 48, Number 15, April 14, 2023, TexReg 1968, eff. 4/16/2023; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 48, Number 29, July 21, 2023, TexReg 3995, eff. 7/23/2023