BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 2643

By: Dutton

Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Currently, rates for monthly child support obligations in Texas are designed to apply to situations in which the obligor's monthly net resources are not greater than an amount established and updated by the Office of the Attorney General once every six years. The bill author has informed the committee that the current rate could lead to inequities in effective child-care obligations among high income individuals, with the highest earners owing the same as those just above the cap. C.S.H.B. 2643 seeks to address this issue by raising this cap to $15,000.

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

C.S.H.B. 2643 amends the Family Code to change the monthly net resource maximum for an obligor that triggers the applicability of certain child support guidelines from a maximum amount as determined by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and published in the Texas Register to a maximum amount of $15,000. The bill repeals provisions requiring the OAG to compute and publish the adjusted maximum amount every six years to reflect inflation. The bill applies only to a suit affecting the parent-child relationship that is filed on or after the bill's effective date. A suit filed before that date is governed by the law in effect on the date the suit is filed, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

C.S.H.B. 2643 repeals Section 154.125(a-1), Family Code.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2025.

COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 2643 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute revises the provision from the introduced setting a new monthly net resource maximum for an obligor that triggers the applicability of certain child support guidelines by lowering that amount from $30,000, as in the introduced, to $15,000.