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.