Bill Text: TX SB1633 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to a program within the Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System to provide reimbursement for legal representation in certain suits affecting the parent-child relationship.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-03-14 - Referred to State Affairs [SB1633 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-SB1633-Introduced.html
2019S0290-1 02/26/19 | ||
By: Kolkhorst | S.B. No. 1633 |
|
||
|
||
relating to a program within the Office of Court Administration of | ||
the Texas Judicial System to provide reimbursement for legal | ||
representation in certain suits affecting the parent-child | ||
relationship. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 72, Government Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 72.033 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 72.033. REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM FOR PROVIDING LEGAL | ||
REPRESENTATION IN CHILD PROTECTION COURTS. (a) In this section, | ||
"child protection court" means a court presided over by an | ||
associate judge appointed under Subchapter C, Chapter 201, Family | ||
Code, and to whom child protection cases are referred in accordance | ||
with that subchapter. | ||
(b) The director shall establish a program within the office | ||
to reimburse counties for certain attorney's fees paid by the | ||
counties for legal representation provided under Part 1, Subchapter | ||
B, Chapter 107, Family Code, in suits affecting the parent-child | ||
relationship heard in a child protection court. A county may be | ||
reimbursed for attorney's fees if: | ||
(1) the attorney who provided representation was on | ||
the list maintained by the office under Subsection (c); and | ||
(2) the attorney was paid in accordance with the fee | ||
schedule set by the office for attorney's fees under Subsection | ||
(c). | ||
(c) The office shall: | ||
(1) maintain a list of attorneys whose fees may be | ||
eligible for state reimbursement to the county under this section; | ||
(2) establish minimum standards and qualifications | ||
for an attorney to be placed on the list; | ||
(3) monitor and audit the legal representation | ||
provided by the attorneys whose fees are reimbursed under this | ||
section; and | ||
(4) set a uniform fee schedule that a county must | ||
follow to qualify for reimbursement under this section. | ||
(d) The office may use available funding to expand the | ||
reimbursement provided to counties other than those with a child | ||
protection court for suits affecting the parent-child relationship | ||
under Part 1, Subchapter B, Chapter 107, Family Code. | ||
(e) Not later than December 31 of each even-numbered year, | ||
the office shall report to the legislature: | ||
(1) a list of the counties that received reimbursement | ||
under this section and the amount received by each county; | ||
(2) the number of cases, by county, where attorney's | ||
fees were eligible for reimbursement under this section; | ||
(3) the average amount per case reimbursed to each | ||
county under this section; and | ||
(4) a list of the counties with child protection | ||
courts that did not receive reimbursement under this section. | ||
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |