|
|
|
|
|
|
relating to procedures for a suit affecting the parent-child |
|
relationship involving a child in the conservatorship of the |
|
Department of Family and Protective Services. |
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
SECTION 1. Section 102.006, Family Code, is amended by |
|
amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (c) to read as |
|
follows: |
|
(a) Except as provided by Subsections [Subsection] (b) and |
|
(c), if the parent-child relationship between the child and every |
|
living parent of the child has been terminated, an original suit may |
|
not be filed by: |
|
(1) a former parent whose parent-child relationship |
|
with the child has been terminated by court order; |
|
(2) the father of the child; or |
|
(3) a family member or relative by blood, adoption, or |
|
marriage of either a former parent whose parent-child relationship |
|
has been terminated or of the father of the child. |
|
(c) The limitations on filing suit imposed by this section |
|
do not apply to an adult sibling of the child, a grandparent of the |
|
child, an aunt who is a sister of a parent of the child, or an uncle |
|
who is a brother of a parent of the child if the adult sibling, |
|
grandparent, aunt, or uncle files an original suit or a suit for |
|
modification requesting managing conservatorship of the child not |
|
later than the 90th day after the date the parent-child |
|
relationship between the child and the parent is terminated in a |
|
suit filed by the Department of Family and Protective Services |
|
requesting the termination of the parent-child relationship. |
|
SECTION 2. Sections 263.401(a), (b), and (c), Family Code, |
|
are amended to read as follows: |
|
(a) Unless the court has commenced the trial on the merits |
|
[rendered a final order] or granted an extension under Subsection |
|
(b), on the first Monday after the first anniversary of the date the |
|
court rendered a temporary order appointing the department as |
|
temporary managing conservator, the court shall dismiss the suit |
|
affecting the parent-child relationship filed by the department |
|
that requests termination of the parent-child relationship or |
|
requests that the department be named conservator of the child. |
|
(b) Unless the court has commenced the trial on the merits, |
|
the [The] court may not retain the suit on the court's docket after |
|
the time described by Subsection (a) unless the court finds that |
|
extraordinary circumstances necessitate the child remaining in the |
|
temporary managing conservatorship of the department and that |
|
continuing the appointment of the department as temporary managing |
|
conservator is in the best interest of the child. If the court |
|
makes those findings, the court may retain the suit on the court's |
|
docket for a period not to exceed 180 days after the time described |
|
by Subsection (a). If the court retains the suit on the court's |
|
docket, the court shall render an order in which the court: |
|
(1) schedules the new date on which the suit will be |
|
dismissed if the trial on the merits has not commenced, which date |
|
must be [for dismissal of the suit] not later than the 180th day |
|
after the time described by Subsection (a); |
|
(2) makes further temporary orders for the safety and |
|
welfare of the child as necessary to avoid further delay in |
|
resolving the suit; and |
|
(3) sets the trial on the merits [a final hearing] on a |
|
date not later than the date specified under Subdivision (1) [that
|
|
allows the court to render a final order before the required date
|
|
for dismissal of the suit under this subsection]. |
|
(c) If the court grants an extension but does not commence |
|
the trial on the merits [render a final order or dismiss the suit on
|
|
or] before the required date for dismissal under Subsection (b), |
|
the court shall dismiss the suit. The court may not grant an |
|
additional extension that extends the suit beyond the required date |
|
for dismissal under Subsection (b). |
|
SECTION 3. Section 263.402(b), Family Code, is amended to |
|
read as follows: |
|
(b) A party to a suit under this chapter who fails to make a |
|
timely motion to dismiss the suit [or to make a motion requesting
|
|
the court to render a final order before the deadline for dismissal] |
|
under this subchapter waives the right to object to the court's |
|
failure to dismiss the suit. A motion to dismiss under this |
|
subsection is timely if the motion is made before the [department
|
|
has introduced all of the department's evidence, other than
|
|
rebuttal evidence, at the] trial on the merits commences. |
|
SECTION 4. Sections 263.403(b) and (c), Family Code, are |
|
amended to read as follows: |
|
(b) If the court renders an order under this section, the |
|
court shall: |
|
(1) include in the order specific findings regarding |
|
the grounds for the order; and |
|
(2) schedule a new date, not later than the 180th day |
|
after the date the temporary order is rendered, for dismissal of the |
|
suit unless a trial on the merits has commenced. |
|
(c) If a child placed with a parent under this section must |
|
be moved from that home by the department before the dismissal of |
|
the suit or the commencement of the trial on the merits [rendering
|
|
of a final order], the court shall, at the time of the move, |
|
schedule a new date for dismissal of the suit unless a trial on the |
|
merits has commenced. The new dismissal date may not be later than |
|
the original dismissal date established under Section 263.401 or |
|
the 180th day after the date the child is moved under this |
|
subsection, whichever date is later. |
|
SECTION 5. Section 263.401(d), Family Code, is repealed. |
|
SECTION 6. The changes in law made by this Act to Sections |
|
263.401, 263.402, and 263.403, Family Code, apply only to a suit |
|
affecting the parent-child relationship filed on or after the |
|
effective date of this Act. A suit affecting the parent-child |
|
relationship filed before the effective date of this Act is |
|
governed by the law in effect at the time the suit was filed, and the |
|
former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
|
SECTION 7. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|
Act takes effect September 1, 2007. |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
______________________________ |
|
President of the Senate |
Speaker of the House |
|
|
|
I certify that H.B. No. 1481 was passed by the House on May |
|
11, 2007, by the following vote: Yeas 136, Nays 4, 2 present, not |
|
voting; that the House refused to concur in Senate amendments to |
|
H.B. No. 1481 on May 25, 2007, and requested the appointment of a |
|
conference committee to consider the differences between the two |
|
houses; and that the House adopted the conference committee report |
|
on H.B. No. 1481 on May 27, 2007, by the following vote: Yeas 146, |
|
Nays 2, 2 present, not voting. |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
|
|
I certify that H.B. No. 1481 was passed by the Senate, with |
|
amendments, on May 22, 2007, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays |
|
0; at the request of the House, the Senate appointed a conference |
|
committee to consider the differences between the two houses; and |
|
that the Senate adopted the conference committee report on H.B. No. |
|
1481 on May 27, 2007, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0. |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Secretary of the Senate |
|
APPROVED: __________________ |
|
Date |
|
|
|
__________________ |
|
Governor |