By Tillery                                       H.B. No. 115

      75R1539 JMC-D                           

                                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 Subsection (g) and adding Subsection (h) to read as

 1-7     follows:

 1-8           (g)  A person commits an offense if the person is a parent,

 1-9     managing conservator, or guardian who fails to attend a hearing

1-10     under this section after receiving an order under Subsection (e).

1-11     An offense under this subsection is a Class C misdemeanor.

1-12           (h)  Any [other] order under this section other than an order

1-13     involving a child or an order under Subsection (e) is enforceable

1-14     by the justice or municipal court by contempt.

1-15           SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only

1-16     to a court order issued on or after the effective date of this Act.

1-17     An order issued before the effective date of this Act is covered by

1-18     the law in effect when the order was issued, and the former law is

1-19     continued in effect for that purpose.

1-20           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-21           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-22     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-23     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-24     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-1     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.