Enrolled Bill Summary

House Bill 518 amends the Family Code to authorize a court to order service of citation in certain suits affecting the parent-child relationship by a method other than publication in a newspaper, including posting the citation at the courthouse door for a specified time. The bill also amends the Family Code to provide that a child support obligor or business entity ineligible to receive state grants or loans or payments on a state contract remains ineligible until the court with jurisdiction over the child support order has granted the obligor an exemption as part of a court-supervised effort to improve child support payments. Previous law allowed for only two instances that would relieve the obligor from being ineligible to receive payments: (1) paying all arrearages; or (2) being in compliance with a written repayment agreement or court order.