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Senate Bill 482 |
Senate Author: Harris |
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Effective: 9-1-11 |
House Sponsor: Jackson, Jim |
Senate Bill 482 amends provisions of the Family Code relating to an authorization agreement entered into by one or both parents of a child with a nonparent relative authorizing the relative to perform certain acts with regard to the child. The bill authorizes only one authorization agreement to be in effect for a child at any time and expands the required contents of an authorization agreement for a nonparent relative.
Current law sets a deadline by which the parties to an authorization agreement that is not signed by both parents are required to mail a copy of the executed agreement to the parent who was not a party to the agreement. Senate Bill 482 requires the copy to be mailed by certified mail or international registered mail, return receipt requested, and sets a deadline by which the parties are required to mail a second copy by first class mail or international first class mail if the parties do not receive a response from the parent who is not a party to the agreement before the 20th day after the date the first copy is mailed. The mailing requirements do not apply to an agreement if the parent who is not a party does not have court-ordered possession of or access to the child or has previously committed an act of family violence or assault against certain family members.