SRC-HRD H.B. 1880 75(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center H.B. 1880 By: Thompson (Truan) International Relations, Trade & Technology 4-28-97 Engrossed DIGEST In the last 15 years, federal laws, international treaties and state legislation have provided numerous tools to enforce child support, custody and visitation rights. Still, parents and relatives who cannot abide by court orders too often resort to extrajudicial child abduction, imposing emotional damage upon the abducted children and financial damage upon the legal custodians and conservators who fight back. New state laws and services can ease the financial and emotional burdens placed upon parents and their abducted children, speeding the return of children and deterring future abductors. The Judicial Affairs Committee, in the interim, studied parental kidnapping and made a recommendation, suggested by the Attorney General's Office, which would require some time to arrange the diplomatic negotiations and passage of corresponding statutes to implement, to allow the Attorney General's office to negotiate with other nations regarding the enforcement of child support and custody orders. This bill would allow the Attorney General's Office to pursue negotiations for reciprocal agreements with other nations and jurisdictions regarding the enforcement of child support and custody orders. PURPOSE As proposed, H.B. 1880 allows the Attorney General's Office to pursue negotiations for reciprocal agreements with other nations and jurisdictions regarding the enforcement of child support and custody orders. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY This bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 231.002(a), Family Code, to authorize the Title IV-D agency to pursue negotiations and enter into agreements with other nations or their political subdivisions to provide for the international establishment and enforcement of child support and child custody orders. Makes conforming changes. SECTION 2. Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.