88R1906 EAS-D
 
  By: Shaheen H.B. No. 604
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the duty to pay child support beginning on the date of
  the child's conception.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 154, Family Code, is
  amended by adding Section 154.0091 to read as follows:
         Sec. 154.0091.  RETROACTIVE CHILD SUPPORT ON ADJUDICATION OR
  ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF PATERNITY. (a) Notwithstanding any other
  provision of this chapter or other law, in any order rendered under
  Chapter 160, establishing a man's paternity of a child, or in any
  suit to establish the child support obligation of a man whose
  paternity has been established by the execution of a valid
  acknowledgment of paternity in regard to the child under Subchapter
  D, Chapter 160, the court shall order the man to pay retroactive
  child support for the child beginning on the earliest possible date
  of the child's conception, as determined by a physician.
         (b)  In ordering retroactive child support under this
  section, the court shall apply the child support guidelines
  provided by this chapter and, on a proper showing, order the man to
  pay an equitable portion of all of the prenatal and postnatal health
  care expenses of the mother and the child.
         (c)  Notwithstanding Section 157.261 or any other law,
  interest does not begin to accrue on a retroactive child support
  payment due under this section until the first anniversary of the
  date the judge renders the order establishing the obligation.
         SECTION 2.  Section 160.636(g), Family Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (g)  On a finding of parentage, the court shall [may] order
  retroactive child support as provided by Section 154.0091 [Chapter
  154 and, on a proper showing, order a party to pay an equitable
  portion of all of the prenatal and postnatal health care expenses of
  the mother and the child].
         SECTION 3.  Section 160.636(h), Family Code, is repealed.
         SECTION 4.  The changes in law made by this Act with respect
  to an order adjudicating paternity apply only to an order rendered
  on or after the effective date of this Act. An order adjudicating
  paternity rendered before the effective date of this Act is
  governed by the law in effect on the date the order is rendered, and
  the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
         SECTION 5.  The changes in law made by this Act with respect
  to an acknowledgment of paternity apply only to an acknowledgment
  of paternity executed on or after the effective date of this Act.
  An acknowledgment of paternity executed before the effective date
  of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the
  acknowledgment is executed, and the former law is continued in
  effect for that purpose.
         SECTION 6.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.