By Turner of Harris                             H.B. No. 2102

      75R6776 JMC-D                           

                                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.  CLOSED [PUBLIC ACCESS TO] COURT HEARINGS.  (a)

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

 1-8     shall close [open]  hearings under this title to the public [unless

 1-9     the court, for good cause shown, determines that the public should

1-10     be excluded].

1-11           (b)  Except as provided by Subsection (c), the [The] court

1-12     may not prohibit a person who is a victim of the conduct of a

1-13     child, or the person's family, from personally attending a hearing

1-14     under this title relating to the conduct by the child.

1-15           (c)  The court may prohibit a person who is a victim of the

1-16     conduct of a child from attending a hearing relating to the conduct

1-17     if [unless] the victim is to testify in the hearing or any

1-18     subsequent hearing relating to the conduct and the court determines

1-19     that the victim's testimony would be materially affected if the

1-20     victim hears other testimony at trial.

1-21           (d)  In this section, "family" has the meaning assigned by

1-22     Section 71.01(b).

1-23           SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only

1-24     to a hearing under Title 3, Family Code, commenced on or after the

 2-1     effective date of this Act.  A hearing commenced before the

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

 2-3     date the hearing was commenced, and the former law is continued in

 2-4     effect for that purpose.

 2-5           SECTION 3.  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,

2-10     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-11     passage, and it is so enacted.