74R10396 MJW-F
          By Madden, McCall, Oakley                               H.B. No. 48
          Substitute the following for H.B. No. 48:
          By Goodman                                          C.S.H.B. No. 48
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to education of parties to a suit affecting the
    1-3  parent-child relationship regarding the effect of the suit on
    1-4  children.
    1-5        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-6        SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 153, Family Code, as added
    1-7  by House Bill 655, Acts of the 74th Legislature, Regular Session,
    1-8  1995, is amended by adding Section 153.0025 to read as follows:
    1-9        Sec. 153.0025.  EDUCATION REGARDING EFFECT OF SUIT ON
   1-10  CHILDREN.  (a)  In a suit affecting the parent-child relationship,
   1-11  the court may order any party to the suit to attend a four-hour
   1-12  course regarding the effect of suits affecting the parent-child
   1-13  relationship on children.
   1-14        (b)  Only a person or group approved by the court may conduct
   1-15  a course under this section.  An individual conducting the course
   1-16  must have a background in parent education or family therapy.
   1-17        (c)  A course conducted under this section must include
   1-18  information regarding:
   1-19              (1)  the developmental stages of children, including
   1-20  the needs and expectations of children at different ages;
   1-21              (2)  indicators of stress in children;
   1-22              (3)  reduction of stress for a child whose parents are
   1-23  separated or divorcing;
   1-24              (4)  the grief process;
    2-1              (5)  changing parental and marital roles in our
    2-2  society;
    2-3              (6)  visitation recommendations for enhancing a child's
    2-4  relationship with both parents;
    2-5              (7)  financial obligations of raising a child; and
    2-6              (8)  conflict management and dispute resolution.
    2-7        (d)  On a party's failure to attend or complete a course that
    2-8  the party is ordered to attend under this section, the court may
    2-9  take appropriate action, including holding that party in contempt
   2-10  of court, striking pleadings, or invoking any of the sanctions
   2-11  provided by Rule 215, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.
   2-12        (e)  A court ordering a party to attend a course under this
   2-13  section may order the party to pay a reasonable fee set by the
   2-14  court for the course.
   2-15        (f)  A court may not order a party to attend a course under
   2-16  this section if the proceeding was brought by the Department of
   2-17  Protective and Regulatory Services, the office of the attorney
   2-18  general, or a party seeking a protective order under Chapter 71.
   2-19        SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies to a
   2-20  suit affecting the parent-child relationship regardless of whether
   2-21  the suit is filed before, on, or after the effective date of this
   2-22  Act.
   2-23        SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
   2-24        SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-25  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-26  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-27  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    3-1  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.