By: Creighton  S.B. No. 1966
         (In the Senate - Filed March 10, 2017; March 27, 2017, read
  first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs;
  April 11, 2017, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 9,
  Nays 0; April 11, 2017, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
 
  relating to certain procedures for cases and orders relating to the
  Title IV-D agency.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 201.104(e), Family Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (e)  Notwithstanding Subsection (d) and subject to Section
  201.1042(g), an associate judge may hear and render an order on any
  matter necessary to be decided in connection with a Title IV-D
  service, including:
               (1)  a suit to modify or clarify an existing child
  support order;
               (2)  a motion to enforce a child support order or revoke
  a respondent's community supervision and suspension of commitment;
               (3)  a respondent's compliance with the conditions
  provided in the associate judge's report for suspension of the
  respondent's commitment; [or]
               (4)  a motion for postjudgment relief, including a
  motion for a new trial or to vacate, correct, or reform a judgment,
  if neither party has requested a de novo hearing before the
  referring court;
               (5)  a suit affecting the parent-child relationship;
  and
               (6)  a suit for modification under Chapter 156.
         SECTION 2.  Section 231.118, Family Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:
         (d)  Notwithstanding Subsection (c), a return of the process
  made under this section in a suit is not required to include the
  address served if:
               (1)  a pleading filed in the suit requests a finding
  under Section 105.006(c); or
               (2)  the court has previously made a finding and
  ordered nondisclosure under Section 105.006(c) relating to the
  parties and the order has not been superseded.
         SECTION 3.  Section 233.024(a), Family Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (a)  On the filing of an agreed child support review order
  signed by all parties, together with waiver of service, the court
  shall sign the order not later than the third day after the filing
  of the order.  On expiration of the third day after the filing of the
  order, the order is considered confirmed by the court by operation
  of law, regardless of whether the court has signed the order.  The
  court may sign the order before filing the order, but the signed
  order shall immediately be filed.
         SECTION 4.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act to
  Section 201.104, Family Code, applies only to a Title IV-D case
  referred to an associate judge under Subchapter B, Chapter 201,
  Family Code, on or after the effective date of this Act.  A Title
  IV-D case referred to an associate judge before the effective date
  of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the case was
  referred, and the former law is continued in effect for that
  purpose.
         (b)  The change in law made by this Act to Section 231.118,
  Family Code, applies 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 on the
  date the suit was filed, and the former law is continued in effect
  for that purpose.
         SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.
 
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