BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1013

By: Dutton

Juvenile Justice & Family Issues

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been noted that current law relating to divorce suits and the evidence submitted in relation to the division of a couple's estate does not require a final decree of divorce to contain the date of the marriage, which could be relevant when considering the division of assets. H.B. 1013 seeks to address this issue by requiring the date of marriage to be stated in the decree of divorce.

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

H.B. 1013 amends the Family Code to require a court, in a suit for dissolution of a marriage in which the court grants a divorce, to state the date of the marriage in the decree of divorce. This requirement does not apply to a suit for dissolution of an informal marriage in which a couple, after an agreement to be married, lived together in Texas and represented to others that they were married.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2021.