BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 539

By: Hinojosa

Juvenile Justice & Family Issues

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties cite the potential for violence during child custody exchanges and assert the importance of providing family violence dynamics training to a person who wishes to qualify for an appointment as an impartial third party in a dispute relating to the parent-child relationship. S.B. 539 seeks to provide for qualifications for an impartial third party in certain civil disputes.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

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.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 539 amends the Civil Practice and Remedies Code to specify that the additional 24 hours of training in the fields of family dynamics, child development, and family law that a person must complete to qualify for an appointment as an impartial third party in a dispute relating to the parent-child relationship includes a minimum of four hours of family violence dynamics training developed in consultation with a statewide family violence advocacy organization. The bill establishes that a person who satisfies the qualifications to be such an impartial third party in effect immediately before the bill's effective date is not required to comply with the bill's requirements until January 1, 2018, to be qualified to serve as such an impartial third party and that the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2017.