By: Harris S.B. No. 348
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
1-1 relating to costs in certain family law cases.
1-2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-3 SECTION 1. Section 106.001, Family Code, is amended to read
1-4 as follows:
1-5 Sec. 106.001. COSTS. The court may award costs in [the same
1-6 manner as in other civil cases in] a suit or motion under this
1-7 title and in a habeas corpus proceeding.
1-8 SECTION 2. Subsection (a), Section 106.002, Family Code, is
1-9 amended to read as follows:
1-10 (a) In a suit under this title [subtitle], the court may
1-11 order reasonable attorney's fees as costs and order the fees to be
1-12 paid directly to an attorney.
1-13 SECTION 3. Subsection (g), Section 152.007, Family Code, is
1-14 amended to read as follows:
1-15 (g) If it appears to the court that it is clearly an
1-16 inappropriate forum, the court may require the party who commenced
1-17 the proceedings to pay, in addition to the costs of the proceedings
1-18 in this state, necessary travel and other expenses, including
1-19 attorney's fees, incurred by other parties or their witnesses.
1-20 [Payment is to be made to the clerk of the court for remittance to
1-21 the proper party.]
1-22 SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and
1-23 applies to a pending suit affecting the parent-child relationship
2-1 without regard to whether the suit was commenced before, on, or
2-2 after the effective date of this Act.
2-3 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the
2-4 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-5 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-6 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-7 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.