By:  Harris                                           S.B. No. 1814
         Line and page numbers may not match official copy.
         Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E.
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                       AN ACT
 1-1     relating to certain requirements for child support obligors to
 1-2     provide health coverage.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 154.183, Family Code is amended to read
 1-5     as follows:
 1-6           Sec. 154.183.  Health Insurance Additional Support Duty of
 1-7     Obligor.  (a)  An amount that an obligor is required to pay for
 1-8     health insurance for the child:
 1-9                 (1)  is in addition to the amount that the obligor is
1-10     required to pay for child support under the guidelines for child
1-11     support;
1-12                 (2)  is a child support obligation; and
1-13                 (3)  may be enforced as a child support obligation.
1-14           (b)  If the court finds and states in the child support order
1-15     that the obligee will maintain health insurance coverage for the
1-16     child at the obligee's expense, the court may increase the amount
1-17     of child support to be paid by the obligor in an amount not
1-18     exceeding the total expense to the obligee for maintaining health
1-19     insurance coverage.
1-20           (c)  As additional child support, the court shall allocate
1-21     between the parties, according to their circumstances, the
1-22     reasonable and necessary health care expenses of a child that are
 2-1     not reimbursed by health insurance.  The party incurring the
 2-2     expenses not reimbursed by health insurance must present the bill
 2-3     to the other party within six months to request reimbursement of
 2-4     that party's portion of said expenses.  If said bill is not
 2-5     presented to the other party within the six month period, the party
 2-6     incurring the expenses not reimbursed by health insurance shall
 2-7     forfeit their claim to reimbursement by the other party.  Once the
 2-8     other party receives the bill for expenses not reimbursed by health
 2-9     insurance, that party shall remit their portion of said expenses to
2-10     the party that incurred the expenses within thirty days.
2-11           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
2-12           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-13     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-14     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-15     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-16     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.