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 * * * * *