By Turner of Harris                                   H.B. No. 2102

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the closing of juvenile court hearings to the public.

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

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 54.08, Family Code, is amended to read as

 1-5     follows:

 1-6           Sec. 54.08.  PUBLIC ACCESS TO COURT HEARINGS.  (a)  Except as

 1-7     provided by this section [Subsection (b)], the court shall open

 1-8     hearings under this title to the public unless the court, for good

 1-9     cause shown, determines that the public should be excluded.

1-10           (b)  The court may not prohibit a person who is a victim of

1-11     the conduct of a child, or the person's family, from personally

1-12     attending a hearing under this title relating to the conduct by the

1-13     child unless the victim or member of the victim's family is to

1-14     testify in the hearing or any subsequent hearing relating to the

1-15     conduct and the court determines that the victim's or family

1-16     member's testimony would be materially affected if the victim or

1-17     member of the victim's family hears other testimony at trial.

1-18           (c)  In this section, "family" has the meaning assigned by

1-19     Section 71.01(b).

1-20           (d)  If a child is under the age of 14 at the time of the

1-21     hearing, the court shall close the hearing to the public, unless

1-22     the court finds that the interests of the child or the interests of

1-23     the public would be better served by opening the hearing to the

1-24     public.

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

 2-2     to a hearing under Title 3, Family Code, commenced on or after the

 2-3     effective date of this Act.  A hearing commenced before the

 2-4     effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the

 2-5     date the hearing was commenced, and the former law is continued in

 2-6     effect for that purpose.

 2-7           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-8     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-9     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-10     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-11     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-12     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-13     passage, and it is so enacted.