By Gutierrez                                    H.B. No. 2531

      75R8476 SKB-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the civil liability of certain persons for a child's

 1-3     conduct.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 41.002, Family Code, is amended to read

 1-6     as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 41.002. LIMIT OF DAMAGES.  Recovery for damage caused by

 1-8     wilful and malicious conduct is limited to actual  damages, not to

 1-9     exceed $25,000 [$15,000] per occurrence, plus court costs and

1-10     reasonable attorney's fees.

1-11           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

1-12     applies only to a cause of action that accrues on or after that

1-13     date.  A cause of action that accrued before the effective date of

1-14     this Act is governed by the law in effect at the time the cause of

1-15     action accrued, and that law is continued in effect for that

1-16     purpose.

1-17           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-18     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-19     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-20     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-21     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.