Honorable John T. Smithee, Chair, House Committee on Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB2512 by Zedler (Relating to the adoption of a uniform collaborative law Act.), As Introduced
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Civil Practice and Remedies Code to create the Uniform Collaborative Law Act to support voluntary settlement of civil litigation. The bill would define the terms and set out the requirements of a collaborative law participation agreement and the collaborative law process. The bill would authorize the filing of a collaborative law agreement to stay a judicial proceeding, but courts could require parties to provide status reports and would be authorized to issue certain emergency orders. The bill would permit written settlement agreements to be enforceable. The bill would also provide for the disqualification of a collaborative lawyer if the process failed and litigation resumed, requirements for informed consent of parties, confidentiality of information, and authority of a court to enforce an agreement.
Based on the analysis of the Office of Court Administration and the Office of Attorney General, duties and responsibilities associated with implementing the provisions of the bill could be accomplished by utilizing existing resources.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council, 302 Office of the Attorney General