By Bosse                                              H.B. No. 1327
         76R4692 CMR-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to waiver of interest on delinquent child support
 1-3     payments.   
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter F, Chapter 157, Family Code, is
 1-6     amended by adding Section 157.2655 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 157.2655.  WAIVER OF INTEREST ON CHILD SUPPORT.  (a)  A
 1-8     court may waive all or a portion of the interest that accrues on
 1-9     delinquent child support if the court finds that:
1-10                 (1)  the obligor has made a good faith effort to pay
1-11     the child support, is unable to locate the obligee, and cannot pay
1-12     the child support without locating the obligee; or
1-13                 (2)  the obligee did not take any action to collect the
1-14     child support payment from the obligor.
1-15           (b)  An obligee is not required to bring an enforcement
1-16     action under this chapter for the court to find that the obligee
1-17     took action to collect unpaid child support.
1-18           SECTION 2.  (a)  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-19           (b)  The change in law made by this Act applies only to a
1-20     child support payment that becomes due on or after the effective
1-21     date of this Act.  A child support payment that became due before
1-22     the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on
1-23     the date the payment became due and the former law is continued in
1-24     effect for that purpose.
 2-1           (c)  The enactment of this Act does not by itself constitute
 2-2     a material and substantial change of circumstances sufficient to
 2-3     warrant modification of an order that provides for the support of a
 2-4     child rendered before the effective date of this Act.
 2-5           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
 2-6     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 2-7     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 2-8     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 2-9     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.