By:  Rosson                                            S.B. No. 515
       73R2031 MJW-F
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to child support judgment actions.
    1-3        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-4        SECTION 1.  Section 14.40(b), Family Code, is amended to read
    1-5  as follows:
    1-6        (b)  Time Limitations.  The court retains jurisdiction to
    1-7  enter a contempt order if a motion for contempt for failure to
    1-8  comply with a court's child support order is filed within two years
    1-9  <six months> after:
   1-10              (1)  the child becomes an adult; or
   1-11              (2)  the date on which the child support obligation
   1-12  terminates pursuant to the decree or order or by operation of law.
   1-13        SECTION 2.  Section 14.41, Family Code, is amended by
   1-14  amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (e) to read as
   1-15  follows:
   1-16        (b)  Time Limitations.  <The court may not confirm the amount
   1-17  of child support in arrears and may not enter a judgment for unpaid
   1-18  child support payments that were due and owing more than 10 years
   1-19  before the filing of the motion to render judgment under this
   1-20  section.>  The court of continuing jurisdiction retains
   1-21  jurisdiction to confirm the total amount of child support in
   1-22  arrears and enter judgment for past-due child support obligations
   1-23  if a motion to render judgment for the arrearages is filed within
   1-24  four years after:
    2-1              (1)  the child becomes an adult; or
    2-2              (2)  the date on which the child support obligation
    2-3  terminates pursuant to the decree or order or by operation of law.
    2-4        (e)  Cumulative Judgment.  A judgment confirming the amount
    2-5  of a child support arrearage under this section may include amounts
    2-6  for which a judgment has been previously rendered if the judgment
    2-7  rendered under this section indicates that it is a cumulative
    2-8  judgment that incorporates all arrearages as of a specified date.
    2-9  A cumulative judgment for child support arrearages rendered under
   2-10  this section supersedes a previous judgment for an arrearage that
   2-11  is incorporated in the cumulative judgment.
   2-12        SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1993.
   2-13        SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-14  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-15  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-16  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-17  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.