Enrolled Bill Summary

            House Bill 913 amends provisions of the Family Code relating to the conservatorship of, and the possession of and access to, a child. The bill provides that a party to a suit affecting the parent-child relationship is entitled to a verdict by jury to determine matters related to the appointment of a sole managing conservator for the child, which joint managing conservator has the exclusive right to designate the primary residence of the child, and the geographic area within which the child's primary residence is designated. The bill repeals a provision requiring the court to designate the primary physical residence of the child when ordering a joint managing conservatorship. The bill prohibits the court from submitting to a jury questions related to certain issues of child support, provides an exception to providing the court with information related to a child's address or whereabouts if both parties to a suit reside in Texas, removes provisions related to the right of a parent appointed conservator to consent to certain medical treatment, and expands the duty to share information related to a child's health, education, and welfare to include nonparent conservators of the child. House Bill 913 limits the court's ability to restrict a child's primary residence to certain geographic areas in an order appointing joint managing conservators, changes the standard possession schedule for certain noncustodial parents from Wednesdays to Thursdays of each week, requires certain child custody proceedings to be transferred to the county of residence of the resident party if all other parties to the suit reside outside of Texas, and directs the court to consider the date certain settlement agreements are signed in determining when to modify an order establishing conservatorship of, or possession of and access to, a child.