1-1     By:  Lucio                                            S.B. No. 1417
 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed March 12, 1999; March 15, 1999, read
 1-3     first time and referred to Committee on Jurisprudence;
 1-4     April 22, 1999, reported adversely, with favorable Committee
 1-5     Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 3, Nays 0; April 22, 1999,
 1-6     sent to printer.)
 1-7     COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1417                   By:  Brown
 1-8                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-9                                   AN ACT
1-10     relating to permitting the Title IV-D agency to offer direct
1-11     deposit of child support payments to custodial parents.
1-12           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-13           SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 234, Family Code, as added
1-14     by Chapter 911, Acts of the 75th Legislature, Regular Session,
1-15     1997, is amended by adding Section 234.006 to read as follows:
1-16           Sec. 234.006.  DIRECT DEPOSIT OF CHILD SUPPORT PAYMENTS.
1-17     (a)  The state disbursement unit authorized under this chapter may
1-18     transmit a child support payment to an obligee by electronic funds
1-19     transfer if the obligee maintains an account with a financial
1-20     institution.
1-21           (b)  The work group convened under this subchapter may
1-22     develop a plan to assist an obligee who does not have an account
1-23     with a financial institution to obtain an account.
1-24           (c)  The work group may determine whether it is feasible and
1-25     cost-effective for the state to administer an electronic benefits
1-26     transfer system for child support obligees and may recommend
1-27     implementation of such a system to the Title IV-D agency.
1-28           (d)  After receiving any recommendations by the work group
1-29     under Subsection (c), the Title IV-D agency or the vendor selected
1-30     by the Title IV-D agency to operate the state disbursement unit may
1-31     provide for electronic benefits transfer, if the request for
1-32     proposals issued by the Title IV-D agency and any contract
1-33     resulting from the selection of a vendor to provide the services
1-34     specified in the request for proposals provides for electronic
1-35     benefits transfer.
1-36           (e)  The work group may recommend and the Title IV-D agency
1-37     may establish procedures to implement this section.
1-38           (f)  The Title IV-D agency, after receiving the
1-39     recommendation of the work group, may require an obligee to receive
1-40     payments by direct deposit to the obligee's bank account or by
1-41     electronic benefit transfer to an account established by the Title
1-42     IV-D agency or the state disbursement unit, if the account is
1-43     established at no cost to the obligee.
1-44           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-45           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-46     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-47     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-48     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-49     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
1-50                                  * * * * *