By McReynolds                                   H.B. No. 2228

      75R7561 JMM-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the determination of the amount of child support for a

 1-3     child of certain disabled obligors.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 154, Family Code, is

 1-6     amended by adding Section 154.132 to read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 154.132.  APPLICATION OF GUIDELINES TO CHILDREN OF

 1-8     CERTAIN DISABLED OBLIGORS.  In applying the child support

 1-9     guidelines for an obligor who has a disability and who is required

1-10     to pay support for a child who receives benefits as a result of the

1-11     obligor's disability, the court shall apply the guidelines by

1-12     determining the amount of child support that would be ordered under

1-13     the child support guidelines and subtracting from that total the

1-14     amount of benefits or the value of the benefits paid to or for the

1-15     child as a result of the obligor's disability.

1-16           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

1-17     applies only to a suit affecting the parent-child relationship

1-18     filed on or after that date.  A suit affecting the parent-child

1-19     relationship filed before the effective date of this Act is

1-20     governed by the law in effect on the date the suit was filed, and

1-21     the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

1-22           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-23     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-24     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-1     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

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