By Tillery, McClendon, et al.                          H.B. No. 115

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the failure of certain persons to attend a court

 1-3     hearing involving a child; providing a criminal penalty.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 54.022, Family Code, is amended by

 1-6     amending Subsections (e) and (g) and adding Subsection (h) to read

 1-7     as follows:

 1-8           (e)  A justice or municipal court shall endorse on the

 1-9     summons issued to a parent, managing conservator, or a guardian an

1-10     order to appear personally at the hearing with the child.  The

1-11     summons must include a warning that the failure of the parent,

1-12     managing conservator, or guardian to appear may be punishable as a

1-13     Class C misdemeanor.

1-14           (g)  A person commits an offense if the person is a parent,

1-15     managing conservator, or guardian who fails to attend a hearing

1-16     under this section after receiving an order under Subsection (e).

1-17     An offense under this subsection is a Class C misdemeanor.

1-18           (h)  Any other order under this section is enforceable by the

1-19     justice or municipal court by contempt.

1-20           SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only

1-21     to a court order issued on or after the effective date of this Act.

 2-1     An order issued before the effective date of this Act is covered by

 2-2     the law in effect when the order was issued, and the former law is

 2-3     continued in effect for that purpose.

 2-4           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

 2-5           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-6     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-7     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-8     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-9     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.