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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the transfer of jurisdiction and the appointment of an |
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attorney ad litem or guardian ad litem in certain suits affecting |
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the parent-child relationship. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 155.207(a), Family Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(a) Not later than the 10th working day after [On] the date |
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[signing of] an order of transfer is signed, the clerk of the court |
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transferring a proceeding shall send to the proper court in the |
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county to which transfer is being made: |
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(1) the pleadings in the pending proceeding and any |
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other document specifically requested by a party; |
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(2) certified copies of all entries in the minutes; |
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[and] |
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(3) a certified copy of each final order; and |
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(4) a certified copy of the order of transfer signed by |
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the transferring court. |
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SECTION 2. Section 262.203, Family Code, is amended by |
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adding Subsections (d) and (e) to read as follows: |
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(d) An order of transfer must include: |
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(1) the date of any future hearings in the case that |
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have been scheduled by the transferring court; |
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(2) any date scheduled by the transferring court for |
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the dismissal of the suit under Section 263.401; and |
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(3) the name and contact information of each attorney |
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ad litem or guardian ad litem appointed in the suit. |
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(e) The court to which a suit is transferred may retain an |
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attorney ad litem or guardian ad litem appointed by the |
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transferring court. If the court finds that the appointment of a |
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new attorney ad litem or guardian ad litem is appropriate, the court |
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shall appoint that attorney ad litem or guardian ad litem before the |
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earlier of: |
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(1) the 10th day after the date of receiving the order |
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of transfer; or |
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(2) the date of the first scheduled hearing after the |
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transfer. |
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SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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to an order of transfer rendered in a suit affecting the |
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parent-child relationship on or after the effective date of this |
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Act. An order of transfer in a suit affecting the parent-child |
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relationship rendered before the effective date of this Act is |
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governed by the law in effect on the date the order was rendered, |
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and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |