By Thompson                                      H.B. No. 522

      75R3070 MCK-F                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to costs in certain family law cases.

 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 106.001, Family Code, is amended to read

 1-5     as follows:

 1-6           Sec. 106.001.  COSTS.  The court may award costs in [the same

 1-7     manner as in other civil cases in] a suit or motion under this

 1-8     title and in a habeas corpus proceeding.

 1-9           SECTION 2.  Section 106.002(a), Family Code, is amended to

1-10     read as follows:

1-11           (a)  In a suit under this title [subtitle], the court may

1-12     order reasonable attorney's fees as costs and order the fees to be

1-13     paid directly to an attorney.

1-14           SECTION 3.  Section 152.007(g), Family Code, is amended to

1-15     read as follows:

1-16           (g)  If it appears to the court that it is clearly an

1-17     inappropriate forum, the court may require the party who commenced

1-18     the proceedings to pay, in addition to the costs of the proceedings

1-19     in this state, necessary travel and other expenses, including

1-20     attorney's fees, incurred by other parties or their witnesses.

1-21     [Payment is to be made to the clerk of the court for remittance to

1-22     the proper party.]

1-23           SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

1-24     applies to a pending suit affecting the parent-child relationship

 2-1     without regard to whether the suit was commenced before, on, or

 2-2     after the effective date of this Act.

 2-3           SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-4     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-5     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-6     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-7     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.