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		By: Spiller, Garcia (Senate Sponsor - Bettencourt) | 
            H.B. No. 891 | 
         
         
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                   (In the Senate - Received from the House May 8, 2023;  | 
         
         
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            May 9, 2023, read first time and referred to Committee on State  | 
         
         
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            Affairs; May 16, 2023, reported favorably by the following vote:   | 
         
         
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            Yeas 11, Nays 0; May 16, 2023, sent to printer.) | 
| Click here to see the committee vote | 
         
      
      
         
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            COMMITTEE VOTE | 
         
         
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                   YeaNayAbsentPNV | 
         
         
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                   HughesX | 
         
         
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                   PaxtonX | 
         
         
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                   BettencourtX | 
         
         
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                   BirdwellX | 
         
         
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                   LaMantiaX | 
         
         
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                   MenéndezX | 
         
         
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                   MiddletonX | 
         
         
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                   ParkerX | 
         
         
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                   PerryX | 
         
         
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                   SchwertnerX | 
         
         
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                   ZaffiriniX | 
         
         
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               A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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               AN ACT
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            relating to the use of expert testimony in certain suits affecting  | 
         
         
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            the parent-child relationship. | 
         
         
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                   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | 
         
         
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                   SECTION 1.  Section 104.008, Family Code, is amended by  | 
         
         
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            adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows: | 
         
         
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                   (a-1)  Subsection (a) does not prohibit a person from  | 
         
         
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            offering an expert opinion regarding the qualifications of,  | 
         
         
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            reliability of the methodology used by, or relevance of the  | 
         
         
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            information obtained by a person who has conducted a custody  | 
         
         
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            evaluation relating to the child under Subchapter D, Chapter 107,  | 
         
         
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            as long as the person's testimony does not violate Subsection (a). | 
         
         
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                   SECTION 2.  The changes in law made by this Act apply only to  | 
         
         
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            a suit affecting the parent-child relationship that is filed on or  | 
         
         
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            after the effective date of this Act. A suit affecting the  | 
         
         
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            parent-child relationship filed before the effective date of this  | 
         
         
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            Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the suit is filed,  | 
         
         
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            and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. | 
         
         
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                   SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. | 
         
         
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