By Patterson                                     S.B. No. 947

      75R7095 JMM-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the appointment of a parent of a child as sole or joint

 1-3     managing conservator of the child.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 153.131, Family Code, is amended by

 1-6     adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:

 1-7           (c)  If the court determines that a parent should be

 1-8     appointed sole managing conservator of the child, the court shall

 1-9     give preference to the parent the court determines to be more

1-10     likely to allow the child frequent and continuing contact with the

1-11     other parent and to facilitate and encourage a close and continuing

1-12     parent-child relationship between the child and the other parent.

1-13           SECTION 2.  Section 153.134, Family Code, is amended by

1-14     adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:

1-15           (c)  In determining which parent to designate as the

1-16     conservator who has the exclusive right to determine the primary

1-17     residence of the child under Subsection (b)(1), the court shall

1-18     give preference to the parent the court determines to be more

1-19     likely to allow the child frequent and continuing contact with the

1-20     other parent and to facilitate and encourage a close and continuing

1-21     parent-child relationship between the child and the other parent.

1-22           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

1-23     applies only to a suit affecting the parent-child relationship

1-24     filed on or after that date.  A suit affecting the parent-child

 2-1     relationship filed before the effective date of this Act is

 2-2     governed by the law in effect on the date the suit was filed, and

 2-3     the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

 2-4           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-5     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-6     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-7     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-8     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.