85R7401 CAE-D
 
  By: Davis of Harris H.B. No. 2469
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the establishment of an electronic database for
  settlement agreements for certain suits involving minors or
  incapacitated persons; authorizing a fee.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 72, Government Code, is
  amended by adding Section 72.033 to read as follows:
         Sec. 72.033.  SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT DATABASE. (a) The
  office shall establish and maintain an electronic database that
  contains personal injury or wrongful death settlement agreements
  for which a minor or incapacitated person is the beneficiary. A
  party to the agreement or a guardian, next friend, or guardian ad
  litem may record the agreement in the database.  Only one copy of an
  agreement may be filed by the parties or the guardian, next friend,
  or guardian ad litem in each settlement agreement.
         (b)  A settlement agreement recorded in the database is
  confidential, and the office shall ensure that a settlement
  agreement may be accessed only by:
               (1)  the parties to the settlement agreement;
               (2)  each attorney representing a party to the
  settlement agreement; or
               (3)  the guardian, next friend, or guardian ad litem of
  a party to the settlement agreement.
         (c)  The office may set and collect a fee to record a
  settlement agreement in the database in an amount sufficient to
  cover the costs of maintaining the agreement in the database, not to
  exceed $50 for each agreement.
         (d)  Any fee to record a settlement agreement in the database
  established by the office as provided by Subsection (c) is a court
  cost to be included for payment in the settlement agreement.
         SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies to a
  suit filed on behalf of a minor or incapacitated person that is
  pending in a trial court on the effective date of this Act or that is
  filed on or after the effective date of this Act.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.