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.