BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	H.B. 4466
89R26305 EAS-D	By: Hickland (Zaffirini)
	Health & Human Services
	5/20/2025
	Engrossed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Child welfare boards support the caseworkers in their community with the funds needed to obtain certified copies of birth certificates for children under the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) and in certain child protection suits. These boards work directly with DFPS to fill in the gaps and provide funds for caseworkers to obtain the required birth certificates.

H.B. 4466 would support child welfare boards and counties by making certified copies of birth records available free of charge to a board if the record is requested in relation to a child protection suit that is filed by a governmental entity.

By waiving birth certificate fees, H.B. 446 would allow child welfare boards to redirect funds toward essential items for children in need.

H.B. 4466 amends current law relating to restrictions on the fee assessed for issuance of certain birth records.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 191.0046, Health and Safety Code, by adding Subsection (g), as follows:

(g) Requires the state registrar, a local registrar, or a county clerk, on request of a county or a child welfare board appointed by the commissioners court of a county under Section 264.005 (County Child Welfare Boards), Family Code, to issue without a fee a certified copy of a birth record to the county or board if the request is related to a suit affecting the parent-child relationship filed by a governmental entity under Subtitle E (Protection of the Child), Title 5 (The Parent-Child Relationship and the Suit Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship), Family Code.

SECTION 2.� Effective date: September 1, 2025.