Amend CSHB 7 (house committee report) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTION to the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of the bill accordingly:
SECTION ____. Sections 107.002(b) and (c), Family Code, are amended to read as follows:
(b) A guardian ad litem appointed for the child under this chapter shall:
(1) within a reasonable time after the appointment, interview:
(A) the child in a developmentally appropriate manner, if the child is four years of age or older;
(B) each person who has significant knowledge of the child's history and condition, including educators, welfare service providers, and any foster parent of the child; and
(C) the parties to the suit;
(2) seek to elicit in a developmentally appropriate manner the child's expressed objectives;
(3) consider the child's expressed objectives without being bound by those objectives;
(4) encourage settlement and the use of alternative forms of dispute resolution; and
(5) perform any specific task directed by the court.
(c) A guardian ad litem appointed for the child under this chapter is entitled to:
(1) receive a copy of each pleading or other paper filed with the court in the case in which the guardian ad litem is appointed;
(2) receive notice of each hearing in the case;
(3) participate in case staffings by the Department of Family and Protective Services concerning the child;
(4) attend all legal proceedings in the case but may not call or question a witness or otherwise provide legal services unless the guardian ad litem is a licensed attorney who has been appointed in the dual role;
(5) review and sign, or decline to sign, an agreed order affecting the child; [and]
(6) explain the basis for the guardian ad litem's opposition to the agreed order if the guardian ad litem does not agree to the terms of a proposed order;
(7) have access to the child in the child's placement;
(8) be consulted and provide comments on decisions regarding placement, including kinship, foster care, and adoptive placements;
(9) receive notification regarding and an invitation to attend meetings related to the child's service plan and a copy of the plan; and
(10) attend court-ordered mediation regarding the child's case.