By: Elkins (Senate Sponsor - Huffman) H.B. No. 984
(In the Senate - Received from the House April 4, 2013;
April 17, 2013, read first time and referred to Committee on
Jurisprudence; May 20, 2013, reported adversely, with favorable
Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 7, Nays 0;
May 20, 2013, sent to printer.)
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 984 By: Campbell
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to certain information required to be provided to an
applicant for a marriage license.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 2.009(c), Family Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(c) On the proper execution of the application, the clerk
shall:
(1) prepare the license;
(2) enter on the license the names of the licensees,
the date that the license is issued, and, if applicable, the name of
the person appointed to act as proxy for an absent applicant, if
any;
(3) record the time at which the license was issued;
(4) distribute to each applicant written notice of the
online location of the information prepared under Section 2.010
regarding [printed materials about] acquired immune deficiency
syndrome (AIDS) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and note on
the license that the distribution was made; and
(5) inform [distribute to] each applicant:
(A) that a premarital education handbook
developed [provided] by the child support division of the office of
the attorney general under Section 2.014 is available on the child
support division's Internet website; or
(B) if the applicant does not have Internet
access, how the applicant may obtain a paper copy of the handbook
described by Paragraph (A).
SECTION 2. Section 2.010, Family Code, is amended to read as
follows:
Sec. 2.010. AIDS INFORMATION; POSTING ON INTERNET. The
[Materials providing information about acquired immune deficiency
syndrome (AIDS) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) shall be
prepared and provided to the clerk by the Texas] Department of State
Health Services [and] shall prepare and make available to the
public on its Internet website information about acquired immune
deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
The information must be designed to inform an applicant for a
marriage license [the applicants] about:
(1) the incidence and mode of transmission of AIDS and
HIV;
(2) the local availability of medical procedures,
including voluntary testing, designed to show or help show whether
a person has AIDS or HIV infection, antibodies to HIV, or infection
with any other probable causative agent of AIDS; and
(3) available and appropriate counseling services
regarding AIDS and HIV infection.
SECTION 3. Section 2.014(c), Family Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(c) The premarital education handbook under Subsection
(b)(1) must:
(1) as provided by Section 2.009(c)(5), [shall] be
made available [distributed] to each applicant for a marriage
license in an electronic form on the Internet website of the child
support division of the office of the attorney general or, for an
applicant who does not have Internet access, in paper copy form; [as
provided by Section 2.009(c)(5)] and
(2) [shall] contain information on:
(A) [(1)] conflict management;
(B) [(2)] communication skills;
(C) [(3)] children and parenting
responsibilities; and
(D) [(4)] financial responsibilities.
SECTION 4. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
an application for a marriage license submitted to a county clerk on
or after the effective date of this Act. An application for a
marriage license submitted before the effective date of this Act is
governed by the law in effect immediately before that date, and the
former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013.
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