1-1 By: Reyna of Bexar (Senate Sponsor - Ellis) H.B. No. 625
1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 19, 1999;
1-3 April 20, 1999, read first time and referred to Committee on
1-4 Jurisprudence; May 11, 1999, reported favorably by the following
1-5 vote: Yeas 4, Nays 0; May 11, 1999, sent to printer.)
1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-7 AN ACT
1-8 relating to the hearing date on an adoption.
1-9 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-10 SECTION 1. Section 162.004, Family Code, as amended by
1-11 Section 74, Chapter 751, and Section 1, Chapter 908, Acts of the
1-12 74th Legislature, Regular Session, 1995, is reenacted and amended
1-13 to read as follows:
1-14 Sec. 162.004. TIME FOR HEARING. (a) The court shall set
1-15 the date for the hearing on the adoption at a time not before the
1-16 40th day [or later than the 60th day] after the later of the date
1-17 the social study is ordered or the date criminal history record
1-18 information is requested under Section 162.0085.
1-19 (b) The [For good cause shown, the] court may set the
1-20 hearing at any time before the time provided by Subsection (a) if
1-21 the hearing date [that] provides adequate time for filing the
1-22 social study and notifying the court of the criminal history record
1-23 information for a person seeking to adopt the child.
1-24 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999, and
1-25 applies only to a suit for adoption filed on or after that date. A
1-26 suit for adoption filed before the effective date of this Act is
1-27 governed by the law in effect at the time the suit was filed, and
1-28 the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
1-29 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
1-30 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-31 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-32 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-33 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
1-34 * * * * *