85R26694 SRS-F
By: Capriglione, Romero, Jr. H.B. No. 3785
Substitute the following for H.B. No. 3785:
By: Murr C.S.H.B. No. 3785
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to associate judges and court reporters for certain family
law cases and proceedings.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 201.009, Family Code, is amended to read
as follows:
Sec. 201.009. COURT REPORTER; RECORD. In [(a) A court
reporter may be provided during] a hearing held by an associate
judge appointed under this chapter, a court reporter must be
provided or the proceedings must be recorded with a good quality
electronic audio recording device. A court reporter is required to
be provided when the associate judge presides over a jury trial or
child custody and parental termination matters [a contested final
termination hearing].
[(b) A party, the associate judge, or the referring court
may provide for a reporter during the hearing, if one is not
otherwise provided.
[(c) Except as provided by Subsection (a), in the absence of
a court reporter or on agreement of the parties, the record may be
preserved by any means approved by the associate judge.
[(d) The referring court or associate judge may tax the
expense of preserving the record under Subsection (c) as costs.
[(e) On a request for a de novo hearing, the referring court
may consider testimony or other evidence in the record in addition
to witnesses or other matters presented under Section 201.015.]
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.