C.S.H.B. 3087 78(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


C.S.H.B. 3087
By: Hodge
Juvenile Justice & Family Issues
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Presently, child support obligors,  many of whom fall below the federal
poverty line, owe the state of Texas approximately 3 billion dollars  in
assigned arrears.  Moreover, the Title IV-D Agency (Office of Attorney
General) retains a portion of collected child support to reimburse the
state for public assistance expenditures. Administering this practice
requires the Office of Attorney General to execute different strategies of
compromise to collect arrearages owed by certain obligors.   

Following the recommendations of the Federal Commissioner of the Office of
Child Support Enforcement, C.S.H.B.3087 would codify this practice into
state law, by allowing the Office of Attorney General to use more
flexibility in collecting debt owed by low-income obligors.   
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 231.002, Family Code, by adding Subsection (I),
which  
provides that the Title IV-D agency may provide a release or satisfaction
of a judgment for all or part of the amount of the arrearages assigned to
the Title IV-D agency under Section 231.104(a). 

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


EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2003.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B.3087 modifies the original H.B.3087 by amending Section 231.002,
Family Code where the duties and the powers of the Title IV-D agency are
listed, in lieu of  Section 157.262, Family Code, as previously amended in
the original H.B.3087.