CJ C.S.H.B. 3109 75(R)
BILL ANALYSIS

JUVENILE JUSTICE & FAMILY ISSUES
C.S.H.B. 3109
By: Serna
5-2-97
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND

Domestic Relations Offices throughout the state provide a multitude of
services for child support recipients, ranging from paternity
establishment to automated enforcement of child support orders under
Friend of the Court programs to enforcement of visitation.  An integral
part of such activities is the ability to locate the parties of a suit and
to locate property which might be available to satisfy child support
obligations.  No enforcement program will be effective if the parties
cannot be located or if financial information is not available. 

PURPOSE

This bill  grants authorization for Domestic Relations Offices to secure
essential locate and financial information from a variety of sources,
governmental agencies, private companies, financial institutions, and
other entities, in order to establish, enforce, and modify child support
orders.  This information is vital in successfully accomplishing these
functions and becomes especially critical in the automated enforcement
which is provided by Friends of the Court programs.  The bill provides
Domestic Relations Offices similar information access to that afforded the
IV-D agency.  Persons who can be successfully served by Domestic Relations
Offices are persons who do not end up on welfare and who are not burdens
on the general taxpaying public. 

RULE MAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any
additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency or
institution. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION

SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 203 ,Family Code to add Sec. 203.008 which (a)
lists the types information which may be requested by Domestic Relations
Offices as necessary to establish, modify, or enforce a child support
order. 
(b) directs that the entities from which information is requested shall
supply the requested information and guarantee the privacy of the
information 
(c) provides protection for those entities for liability arising from
release of information. 

SECTION 2. Effective Date, September 1, 1997.

SECTION 3. EMERGENCY CLAUSE.  



 


COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

The substitute reorganizes the provisions to place part of subsection(b)
into a new  subsection (c) to provide immunity from liability for persons
acting in accordance with the provisions of this bill.