Online Registration: Online registration is required to attend a TMCEC event. Payment of registration and housing fees (if applicable) is required for enrollment. Register online (register.tmcec.com). By registering online to attend a TMCEC event, the person completing the registration is representing to TMCEC that the participant is eligible for expenditure of grant funds and that they are authorized to act on behalf of their city to incur costs pertaining to training judicial and court personnel and that the policies contained in the General Enrollment Information are agreed to by all parties.
Need-Based Financial Assistance: TMCEC is committed to making sure that all municipal judges and court personnel have access to necessary training. Policies, procedures, and programs are in place to ensure that TMCEC constituents have access to training if unable to pay. Cities unable to pay the registration and housing fees may submit a request for financial assistance. Applicants must provide written documentation explaining the financial hardship 60 days prior to the TMCEC event. Requests for financial assistance and documentation should be addressed to the TMCEC Executive Director.
Registration Fees: There are currently no registration fees for webinars. Registration fees for other events total $150. Of the $150, $75 is collected as tuition for attending a grant-funded training event. It is used to supplement grant funds and is limited in use by grant restrictions. The other $75 is an overhead fee the TMCEC Board of Directors has voluntarily chosen to assess to bridge the gap between what state grant funding can provide and increasing costs. Because TMCEC cannot sustain its present operations solely with grant funds and the nominal fees it assesses for tuition and housing, the additional voluntary fee, which is deposited as private funds, will be used for expenses that exceed what is allowed under state grant guidelines for participant food and lodging costs as well as staff salaries and benefits.
Housing Assistance: To help defray costs to local governments and participants, housing at most TMCEC events is subsidized by grant funds. To be eligible for subsidized housing, participants must work outside of a 30-mile radius of the event site. The housing fee for most TMCEC events is $50 per participant per night. TMCEC makes hotel reservations based on the information provided by participants during online registration. Participants will be provided a private single or double occupancy room (depending on availability). If participants have a preference, they may specify it during online registration. Housing information, including check-in and check-out times, will be provided to participants in a confirmation email.
TMCEC makes every effort to find the best hotels, meeting spaces, and food service within its resources. A bid process is used to secure all conference sites.
TMCEC reserves participants’ sleeping rooms for late arrival. Cities will be billed if the participant does not use a requested sleeping room but attends the event.
Participants should be prepared to post a deposit or present a credit or debit card for incidentals (e.g., movies, telephone calls, room service, etc.). Participants are responsible for all incidentals, including damage to the room. Policies regarding deposits and holds on credit/debit cards vary among hotels and are not set by TMCEC.
Participants should not directly contact the hotel unless planning to arrive early or extend their stay at their own expense. Note: Cities are not exempt from hotel tax and participants who request extra room nights are responsible for paying hotel tax as well as any additional room charges. TMCEC cannot assist with arrangements for early arrival, extended stay, or procuring the government rate for housing.
CLE Reporting: Many TMCEC events are submitted to the State Bar of Texas for Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit. When appropriate, TMCEC events may also be submitted to the Texas Board of Legal Specialization for credit towards the continuing legal education requirements for certification and re-certification in Criminal Law. Attorneys who wish to have CLE credit reported to the State Bar of Texas by TMCEC may pay a $100 fee. The fee, which is voluntary, is deposited into private funds that are used for expenditures not allowed by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (compensation, membership services, and the building funds). Payment of the CLE Reporting Fee is not required to receive judicial education credit. The CLE fee can be paid during online registration. TMCEC typically reports CLE within one week of the seminar.
Meals: Participants are provided catered breakfasts and lunches at most TMCEC events. TMCEC does not provide dinner meals.
Guests of Participants: Some hotels may charge participants an additional fee for guests not included in the reservation. Guests may not join conference participants at TMCEC-sponsored meals or sessions.
Cancellation and Refunds: To be eligible for a refund, registration for a participant must be cancelled at least 10 business days prior to the beginning of the event. Cancel by calling TMCEC and sending in a cancellation form. In the event a registrant does not attend a TMCEC event, or cancels late, the City shall be invoiced for any actual expenses incurred by TMCEC (e.g., meals, course materials, housing). If cancellation is necessary due to emergency and TMCEC cannot be reached (after business hours), a participant may contact the hotel to cancel. This may minimize charges.
Transfer Policy: By completing a transfer form at least three business days prior to a TMCEC event, registration may be transferred (one-time) between court employees for the same event. To be eligible for a full transfer of all registration fees to a new event, the transfer form must be received at least 10 business days prior to the event start date. The transfer form is located on the TMCEC website. Funds are non-refundable if the participant does not attend.
Accommodations for People with Special Needs: TMCEC will make every effort to ensure that TMCEC events are held at facilities which are fully accessible to persons with disabilities. If you need accommodations relating to a disability for a TMCEC event or if you have special dietary requirements, please specify during online registration, notify the TMCEC Registration Coordinator at register@tmcec.com. or call 800.252.3718.
Attendance: Because we are funded with public monies, to receive credit, TMCEC requires full attendance and participation at TMCEC events. If you are unable to attend all sessions, please reschedule. Note: Eligible judges at Regional Seminars may opt to leave at 5:00 p.m. on Day 2 but must notify TMCEC. Judges leaving after Day 2 are ineligible for grant-subsidized hotel rooms on the evening of Day 2 at a Regional Seminar. Special sessions (typically on Day 1) are optional.
Grant restrictions prohibit monies being spent to supplement educational costs, hotel rooms, and meals for training that is not completed by a participant. For this reason, Cities may be billed actual expenses of participants who do not complete participation at a TMCEC event. In case of an emergency, a limited number of missed hours may be made up at the direction of TMCEC.
Record of Attendance: At each TMCEC event, participants are provided a record of attendance which must be completed and returned to TMCEC prior to departure. This information is made part of the academic transcript. Missing or incomplete records of attendance may cause participant hours to be incorrectly reported.
Health & Safety: The safety of participants, volunteers, and staff is a top priority at TMCEC. TMCEC encourages all registrants to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance and that all participants be fully vaccinated before attending an in-person TMCEC event. By registering to attend an in-person event, participants agree to follow all safety protocols requested by TMCEC and the event site. By attending, participants acknowledge and accept the inherent risk of exposure to communicable disease in any public space where people gather.
Our goal is to honor our scheduled events. This means that if an in-person event cannot be held in person because of a public health emergency, rather than being cancelled, we will try to offer it as a live, synchronous virtual seminar.
Privacy Policy: Exhibitors at TMCEC events are provided a list of registered participants containing their names, offices held, and the cities they represent. Participants may, however, opt out of having this information shared by checking a box on their electronic TMCEC profile. To opt out, visit tmcec.com/registration. Click on the online registration button. Log into your account using your username and password. Under the “Communications” tab, scroll down to “Exhibitor Information” and check the box next to “Do Not Share.”
TMCEC also has a mobile privacy policy which is required for Android apps. The policy is available on the TMCEC homepage (tmcec.com).