1-1     By:  Haywood, Ellis                                   S.B. No. 1384

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed March 13, 1997; March 19, 1997, read

 1-3     first time and referred to Committee on Jurisprudence;

 1-4     May 18, 1997, reported adversely, with favorable Committee

 1-5     Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 18, 1997,

 1-6     sent to printer.)

 1-7     COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1384                  By:  Harris

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-8                                   AN ACT

 1-9     relating to counseling for certain persons in a suit for divorce or

1-10     a suit affecting the parent-child relationship.

1-11           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-12           SECTION 1.  Section 6.505, Family Code, as added by S.B. No.

1-13     334, Acts of the 75th Legislature, Regular Session, 1997, is

1-14     amended by adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:

1-15           (e)  If the court orders counseling under this section and

1-16     the parties to the marriage are the parents of a child under 18

1-17     years of age born or adopted during the marriage, the counseling

1-18     shall include counseling on issues that confront children who are

1-19     the subject of a suit affecting the parent-child relationship.

1-20           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

1-21     applies only to a suit filed on or after that date.  A suit filed

1-22     before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in

1-23     effect at the time the suit was filed, and the former law is

1-24     continued in effect for that purpose.

1-25           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-26     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-27     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-28     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-29     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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