| 1 | 1 | | 88R1945 MLH-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Dutton H.B. No. 2582 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to a report on a proposed income shares child support model |
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| 8 | 8 | | for this state. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. (a) In this section: |
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| 11 | 11 | | (1) "Income shares child support model" means an |
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| 12 | 12 | | allocation of child support based on the concept that the child |
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| 13 | 13 | | should receive the same proportion of parental income that the |
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| 14 | 14 | | child would have received if the parents lived together. |
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| 15 | 15 | | (2) "Title IV-D agency" has the meaning assigned by |
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| 16 | 16 | | Section 101.033, Family Code. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (b) Not later than October 1, 2024, the Title IV-D agency |
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| 18 | 18 | | shall prepare and submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, |
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| 19 | 19 | | and the legislature a written report on the income shares child |
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| 20 | 20 | | support model as provided by this section. |
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| 21 | 21 | | (c) The report required under this section must include: |
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| 22 | 22 | | (1) proposed legislation for consideration by the 89th |
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| 23 | 23 | | Legislature, Regular Session, to reform the state's child support |
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| 24 | 24 | | system by employing, in whole or in part, the income shares child |
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| 25 | 25 | | support model; and |
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| 26 | 26 | | (2) a recommended timetable for an orderly transition |
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| 27 | 27 | | to the system proposed in the legislation described by Subdivision |
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| 28 | 28 | | (1) of this subsection that includes sufficient time to: |
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| 29 | 29 | | (A) perform economic analyses related to the |
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| 30 | 30 | | proposed system; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (B) prepare basic support guideline tables; |
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| 32 | 32 | | (C) develop and implement forms; |
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| 33 | 33 | | (D) develop and implement computational aids; |
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| 34 | 34 | | and |
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| 35 | 35 | | (E) ensure preparation can be made by child |
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| 36 | 36 | | support system participants who rely on existing child support |
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| 37 | 37 | | guidelines to determine the amount of child support obligations. |
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| 38 | 38 | | (d) The director of the Title IV-D agency shall convene a |
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| 39 | 39 | | work group under Section 231.012, Family Code, to assist with |
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| 40 | 40 | | developing the report required under this section. The work group |
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| 41 | 41 | | must include child support system participants who rely on existing |
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| 42 | 42 | | child support guidelines to determine the amount of child support |
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| 43 | 43 | | obligations. |
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| 44 | 44 | | (e) Members of the work group described by Subsection (d) of |
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| 45 | 45 | | this section may assist the Title IV-D agency by: |
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| 46 | 46 | | (1) advising the agency of public policy objectives to |
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| 47 | 47 | | be achieved by the proposed system; |
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| 48 | 48 | | (2) identifying: |
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| 49 | 49 | | (A) experts who can assist with developing the |
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| 50 | 50 | | report; |
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| 51 | 51 | | (B) appropriate economic analyses to be |
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| 52 | 52 | | performed; |
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| 53 | 53 | | (C) methods for addressing commonly-encountered |
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| 54 | 54 | | situations in the child support system; |
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| 55 | 55 | | (D) needed changes to the Family Code and other |
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| 56 | 56 | | statutes to enact an income shares child support model; and |
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| 57 | 57 | | (E) methods for training courts, lawyers, agency |
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| 58 | 58 | | personnel, litigants, and other system participants on the changes |
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| 59 | 59 | | in law that would be made if the proposed legislation included in |
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| 60 | 60 | | the report is enacted; and |
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| 61 | 61 | | (3) determining an appropriate transition schedule. |
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| 62 | 62 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 63 | 63 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 64 | 64 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 65 | 65 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 66 | 66 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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