| 1 | 1 | | 89R9185 KRM-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Noble H.B. No. 4795 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to duties of the vital statistics unit of the Department of |
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| 10 | 10 | | State Health Services in relation to certain suits affecting the |
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| 11 | 11 | | parent-child relationship, including in regard to the electronic |
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| 12 | 12 | | transmission of certain information. |
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| 13 | 13 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 14 | 14 | | SECTION 1. Section 155.101, Family Code, is amended by |
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| 15 | 15 | | amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (e) to read as |
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| 16 | 16 | | follows: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (b) The vital statistics unit shall, on the [written] |
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| 18 | 18 | | request of the Department of Family and Protective Services, the |
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| 19 | 19 | | court, an attorney, or a party: |
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| 20 | 20 | | (1) identify the court that last had continuing, |
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| 21 | 21 | | exclusive jurisdiction of the child in a suit and give the docket |
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| 22 | 22 | | number of the suit; or |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2) state that the child has not been the subject of a |
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| 24 | 24 | | suit. |
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| 25 | 25 | | (e) The vital statistics unit shall establish an electronic |
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| 26 | 26 | | process through which the Department of Family and Protective |
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| 27 | 27 | | Services, the court, an attorney, or a party may request |
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| 28 | 28 | | information under this section. |
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| 29 | 29 | | SECTION 2. Section 160.422, Family Code, is amended by |
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| 30 | 30 | | amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsection (a-1) to |
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| 31 | 31 | | read as follows: |
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| 32 | 32 | | (a) Not later than the 10th day after the date a request is |
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| 33 | 33 | | received from an individual, a court, or an agency listed in Section |
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| 34 | 34 | | 160.412(b), the [The] vital statistics unit shall furnish a |
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| 35 | 35 | | certificate of the results of a search of the registry [on request |
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| 36 | 36 | | by an individual, a court, or an agency listed in Section |
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| 37 | 37 | | 160.412(b)]. |
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| 38 | 38 | | (a-1) The vital statistics unit shall establish an |
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| 39 | 39 | | electronic process through which an individual, a court, or an |
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| 40 | 40 | | agency listed in Section 160.412(b) may request information under |
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| 41 | 41 | | this section. |
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| 42 | 42 | | (b) The certificate of the results of a search must include |
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| 43 | 43 | | a digitized or written signature [be signed] on behalf of the unit |
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| 44 | 44 | | and state that: |
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| 45 | 45 | | (1) a search has been made of the registry; and |
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| 46 | 46 | | (2) a registration containing the information |
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| 47 | 47 | | required to identify the registrant: |
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| 48 | 48 | | (A) has been found and is attached to the |
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| 49 | 49 | | certificate; or |
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| 50 | 50 | | (B) has not been found. |
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| 51 | 51 | | SECTION 3. As soon as practicable after the effective date |
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| 52 | 52 | | of this Act, the executive commissioner of the Health and Human |
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| 53 | 53 | | Services Commission shall adopt rules necessary to implement the |
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| 54 | 54 | | changes in law made by this Act. |
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| 55 | 55 | | SECTION 4. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
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| 56 | 56 | | a request received by the vital statistics unit of the Department of |
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| 57 | 57 | | State Health Services on or after January 1, 2026. A request |
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| 58 | 58 | | received before January 1, 2026, is governed by the law in effect |
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| 59 | 59 | | immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the former |
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| 60 | 60 | | law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 61 | 61 | | SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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