By Thompson H.B. No. 2399
74R5993 MWV-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the Harris County Child Support Department.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Section 152.1074, Human Resources Code, is
1-5 amended by amending Subsections (a), (c), (d), and (e) and adding
1-6 Subsection (k) to read as follows:
1-7 (a) The Harris County Commissioners Court may create a child
1-8 support department to receive, disburse, and record payments of
1-9 restitution and child and spousal support made to the department
1-10 under a court order or may designate by order a county officer to
1-11 create a child support office within the officer's department to
1-12 receive, disburse, and record payments of restitution and child and
1-13 spousal support made to the office under a court order. The
1-14 commissioners court may rescind the order designating the officer
1-15 at any time.
1-16 (c) If the commissioners court creates a child support
1-17 department, the <The> commissioners court shall appoint a <the>
1-18 director to serve <of the child support department. The director
1-19 serves> at the pleasure of the commissioners court. The director
1-20 may hire additional employees subject to the approval of the
1-21 commissioners court. The director must execute a bond with a
1-22 solvent surety company authorized to execute bonds of this type in
1-23 the state. The bond shall be payable to the county judge and
1-24 conditioned on the director's faithful performance of his duties
2-1 and on the director properly accounting for any funds entrusted to
2-2 him. The commissioners court shall set the amount of the bond and
2-3 shall pay the premium for the bond out of the general funds of the
2-4 county.
2-5 (d) The director or the director's agent or the county
2-6 officer designated to create an office of child support within the
2-7 county officer's department or the county officer's agent shall
2-8 receive <receives> the payments made under this section. The
2-9 director or the director's agent or the county officer designated
2-10 to create an office of child support within the county officer's
2-11 department or the county officer's agent shall disburse the funds
2-12 in the manner the district court determines to be in the best
2-13 interests of the parties involved in the case and in accordance
2-14 with departmental policies as approved by the commissioners court.
2-15 (e) The director or the county officer designated to create
2-16 an office of child support within the county officer's department
2-17 or the county officer's agent shall keep an accurate and complete
2-18 record of all receipts and disbursements of funds under this
2-19 section. The county auditor shall inspect the <director's> record,
2-20 audit the accounts annually, and make a report of the auditor's
2-21 findings and recommendations to the commissioners court.
2-22 (k) If the commissioners court designates a county officer
2-23 to create an office of child support within the county officer's
2-24 department, the county officer shall serve as the director of the
2-25 child support department. The county officer may hire additional
2-26 employees subject to the approval of the commissioners court. The
2-27 county officer must execute a bond with a solvent surety company
3-1 authorized to execute bonds of this type in this state. The bond
3-2 shall be payable to the county judge and conditioned on the county
3-3 officer's faithful performance of the duties entrusted to him under
3-4 this section and on the county officer's properly accounting for
3-5 any funds entrusted to him. The commissioners court shall set the
3-6 amount of the bond and shall pay the premium for the bond out of
3-7 the general funds of the county.
3-8 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the
3-9 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-10 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-11 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-12 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
3-13 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
3-14 passage, and it is so enacted.