| TO: | Honorable David Dewhurst, Lieutenant Governor, Senate |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | SB1369 by Lucio (Relating to the appointment of attorneys ad litem.), As Passed 2nd House |
The bill would require a local administrative judge to maintain a list of all attorneys registered and qualified to serve as an attorney ad litem. Additionally, the bill would generally require a court to appoint attorneys as attorneys ad litem from the list in a specified order, unless the attorney possesses relevant specialized education, training, certification, or skill and the appointment is made pursuant to the Family Code, Health and Safety Code, Human Resources Code, Texas Trust Code (Subtitle B, Title 9, Property Code), or Texas Probate Code, or is agreed upon by the parties and approved by the court.
The bill also would amend the Family Code relating to court-appointed volunteer advocates in certain suits affecting the parent-child relationship, and adds the definition of "volunteer advocate program"
as a volunteer-based, nonprofit program that provides advocacy services to abused or neglected children. The Office of the Attorney General anticipates any additional work resulting from the passage of the bill could be reasonably absorbed with current resources.
| Source Agencies: |
| LBB Staff: | JOB, TP, DB
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