By Goodman                                      H.B. No. 3283

      75R9362 JMM-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the administration of the child support enforcement

 1-3     duties of the Office of Attorney General.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Chapter 402, Government Code, is amended by

 1-6     adding Subchapter D to read as follows:

 1-7                  SUBCHAPTER D.  CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT

 1-8           Sec. 402.101.  CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT BOARD.  (a)  The

 1-9     governor shall designate individuals to serve on a board to provide

1-10     oversight of the child support enforcement division of the attorney

1-11     general's office.  The board shall consist of:

1-12                 (1)  at least one person to represent the general

1-13     public;

1-14                 (2)  at least one person who is a former or retired

1-15     judge and has served on a court of this state having jurisdiction

1-16     of suits affecting the parent-child relationship;

1-17                 (3)  at least one person who is or has been an employee

1-18     of a county domestic relations office or other county child support

1-19     office or who is an active, former, or retired district clerk of a

1-20     county of this state;

1-21                 (4)  at least one person who is an attorney actively

1-22     engaged in the practice of family law in this state; and

1-23                 (5)  the attorney general.

1-24           (b)  Except for the attorney general, a member of the board

 2-1     serves at the pleasure of the governor.

 2-2           Sec. 402.102.  EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.  (a)  The board shall

 2-3     designate an individual to serve as executive director of the child

 2-4     support enforcement division.

 2-5           (b)  The executive director shall exercise all rights,

 2-6     powers, and duties imposed or conferred by law on the child support

 2-7     enforcement division or on the attorney general that specifically

 2-8     relate to the enforcement or administration of the attorney

 2-9     general's child support enforcement functions.

2-10           Sec. 402.103.  EXPENDITURE OF FUNDS.  The governor and the

2-11     Legislative Budget Board shall monitor the expenditures of the

2-12     office of the attorney general for child support services and the

2-13     use or nonuse of money appropriated for those services and shall

2-14     make proposals, as appropriate, under Subchapter A, Chapter 317, to

2-15     seek approval for the expenditure of that money.

2-16           Sec. 402.104.  DEDICATION OF FUNDS.  (a)  All money received

2-17     from the federal government by the attorney general for child

2-18     support enforcement may be appropriated only for child support

2-19     enforcement.  All appropriations remain dedicated for this purpose.

2-20           (b)  All other appropriations made to the attorney general

2-21     for child support enforcement may only be expended for the purposes

2-22     for which the money was appropriated.

2-23           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

2-24           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-25     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-26     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-27     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 3-1     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.