1-1     By:  Staples (Senate Sponsor - Madla)                 H.B. No. 2215

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 27, 1997;

 1-3     April 29, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on

 1-4     Jurisprudence; May 17, 1997, reported favorably, as amended, by the

 1-5     following vote:  Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 17, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6     COMMITTEE AMENDMENT NO. 1                               By:  Harris

 1-7           Amend H.B. No. 2215 as follows:

 1-8           (1)  In Section 1 of the bill, in Section 153.010, Family

 1-9     Code, between "COUNSELING." and "If" (page 1, line 29, House

1-10     engrossed version), insert "(a)".

1-11           (2)  In Section 1 of the bill, in Section 153.010, Family

1-12     Code, between "violence" and "[person]" (page 1, line 38, House

1-13     engrossed version), insert "if the court determines that the

1-14     training is relevant to the type of counseling needed".

1-15           (3)  In Section 1 of the bill, at the end of Section 153.010,

1-16     Family Code (page 1, between lines 40 and 41, House engrossed

1-17     version), insert the following:

1-18           (b)  If a person possessing the requirements of Subsection

1-19     (a)(1) is not available in the county in which the court presides,

1-20     the court may appoint a person the court believes is qualified to

1-21     conduct the counseling ordered under Subsection (a).

1-22                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

1-23                                   AN ACT

1-24     relating to court-ordered family counseling for conflicts regarding

1-25     issues of conservatorship or possession of or access to a child.

1-26           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-27           SECTION 1.  Section 153.010, Family Code, is amended to read

1-28     as follows:

1-29           Sec. 153.010.  ORDER FOR FAMILY COUNSELING.  If the court

1-30     finds at the time of a hearing that the parties have a history of

1-31     conflict in resolving an issue of conservatorship or possession of

1-32     or access to the child, the court may order a party to:

1-33                 (1)  participate in counseling with a mental health

1-34     professional who:

1-35                       (A)  has a background in family therapy;

1-36                       (B)  has a mental health license that requires as

1-37     a minimum a master's degree; and

1-38                       (C)  has training in domestic violence [person

1-39     appointed by the court]; and

1-40                 (2)  pay the cost of counseling.

1-41           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-42           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-43     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-44     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-45     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-46     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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