By Harris                                              S.B. No. 886
         76R8243 MCK-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to fees assessed in a child support case.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1.  Chapter 202, Family Code, is amended by adding
 1-5     Section 202.006 to read as follows:
 1-6           Sec. 202.006.  FEES.  (a)  The court may authorize a friend
 1-7     of the court to assess and collect a monthly monitoring fee not to
 1-8     exceed $5 to be paid by the managing conservator and possessory
 1-9     conservator.
1-10           (b)  The friend of the court shall collect the fee.  If the
1-11     friend of the court is a domestic relations office, the friend of
1-12     the court shall deposit the fee, as determined by the administering
1-13     agency, in:
1-14                 (1)  the general fund for the county in which the
1-15     domestic relations office is located; or
1-16                 (2)  the office fund established for the domestic
1-17     relations office.
1-18           (c)  If the friend of the court is not a domestic relations
1-19     office, the friend of the court shall deliver the fee to the county
1-20     treasurer, or the person who performs the duties of the county
1-21     treasurer, of the county in which the court sits.  The county
1-22     treasurer, or the person who performs the duties of the county
1-23     treasurer, shall deposit the fees received into the friend of the
1-24     court fund.
 2-1           (d)  If the friend of the court is a domestic relations
 2-2     office, the administering entity shall use the funds received under
 2-3     this section to provide services under this chapter.  If the friend
 2-4     of the court is not a domestic relations office, the local
 2-5     administrative district judge in the county shall administer the
 2-6     friend of the court fund to assist in providing friend of the court
 2-7     services.
 2-8           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
 2-9           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-10     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-11     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-12     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-13     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.