SRC-LBB H.B. 2856 78(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center H.B. 2856 78R10624 JMM-DBy: Farrar (Gallegos) Jurisprudence 5/22/2003 Engrossed DIGEST AND PURPOSE Currently a Domestic Relations Office (DRO) is authorized to "assess and collect a monthly service fee not to exceed $3 to be paid annually in advance by a managing conservator and possessory conservator for whom the domestic relations office provides services." With this fee, the DRO keeps a record of all Suits Affecting the Parent Child Relationship (SAPCR) including but not limited to: child support obligations, visitation orders, appointment of a guardian ad litem, protective order information, data on parents and children, copies of pay records, mediation records, start and end date of the order, wage withholding/employer information and location information needed for enforcement of orders. This fee is difficult to collect because the DRO has no collection power other than distribution of billing. H.B. 2856 authorizes the enforcement for collection of certain fees by a DRO against an obligor and obligee by any method available for the enforcement of child support. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 203.005, Family Code, by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (e), as follows: (a) Adds the words "child support" to describe the type of services provided by a domestic relations office in relation to a monthly service fee. (e) Provides that a fee authorized by this section for providing child support services is part of the child support obligation and may be enforced against both an obligor and obligee by any method available for the enforcement of child support, including contempt. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2003.