C.S.H.B. 2652 78(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


C.S.H.B. 2652
By: Brown, Fred
Juvenile Justice & Family Issues
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Under current law, a non-custodial parent is only obligated to provide
child support to the custodial parent so long as the child is fully
enrolled in an accredited secondary school.  No provision currently exists
to include children enrolled in an unaccredited private school or home
school. 

C.S.H.B.2652 would amend Section 151.001(b) of the Family Code, to broaden
the duty of a noncustodial parent to support his or her child while the
child is an unemancipated minor fully enrolled in either an accredited
secondary school or an unaccredited private school, including a home
school.  

This legislation will also ensure that a non-custodial parent is not able
to use the educational choice of a custodial parent to evade parental
responsibility and child support payments. 


RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any
additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or
institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS


SECTION 1. Amends Section 151.001 (b), Family Code, by adding the words,
"or an unaccredited private school, including a home school,"  

SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2003.


EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2003.


COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B.2652  modifies the original H.B.2652 by preserving the provision
that a parent must support his or her child while the child is an
unemancipated minor as long as the child is fully enrolled in an
accredited secondary school.  C.S.H.B.2652 also adds new language to
include an unaccredited private school, including a home school. 

The original version of H.B.2652 simply struck the work "accredited" in an
effort to include all types of secondary schools whether they were public,
private, accredited, unaccredited or home schools.