Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB4942 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R9402 AMF-D
2	2	By: Curry H.B. No. 4942
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to certain services and interventions ordered in a suit
10	10	affecting a parent-child relationship and to certain judicial
11	11	training requirements.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. Section 153.004, Family Code, is amended by
14	14	adding Subsection (f-1) to read as follows:
15	15	(f-1) The court may not require a party or a child to
16	16	participate in a service or intervention related to family violence
17	17	or child abuse or neglect unless:
18	18	(1) the service or intervention is evidence-based; and
19	19	(2) there is generally accepted proof of the
20	20	effectiveness, therapeutic value, and physical and psychological
21	21	safety of the service or intervention.
22	22	SECTION 2. Section 153.010(a), Family Code, is amended to
23	23	read as follows:
24	24	(a) If the court finds at the time of a hearing that the
25	25	parties have a history of conflict in resolving an issue of
26	26	conservatorship or possession of or access to the child, the court
27	27	may order a party to:
28	28	(1) participate in counseling with a mental health
29	29	professional who:
30	30	(A) has a background in family therapy;
31	31	(B) has a mental health license that requires as
32	32	a minimum a master's degree; and
33	33	(C) has training in family [domestic] violence or
34	34	child abuse and neglect if the court determines that the training is
35	35	relevant to the type of counseling needed; and
36	36	(2) pay the cost of counseling.
37	37	SECTION 3. Section 22.011(d), Government Code, is amended
38	38	to read as follows:
39	39	(d) The instruction must be evidence-based and include
40	40	information about:
41	41	(1) statutory and case law relating to videotaping a
42	42	child's testimony and relating to competency of children to
43	43	testify;
44	44	(2) methods for eliminating the trauma to the child
45	45	caused by the court process;
46	46	(3) case law, statutory law, and procedural rules
47	47	relating to family violence, sexual assault, trafficking of
48	48	persons, and child abuse;
49	49	(4) methods for providing protection for victims of
50	50	family violence, sexual assault, trafficking of persons, or child
51	51	abuse;
52	52	(5) available community and state resources for
53	53	counseling and other aid to victims and to offenders;
54	54	(6) gender bias in the judicial process;
55	55	(7) dynamics and effects of being a victim of family
56	56	violence, sexual assault, trafficking of persons, or child abuse;
57	57	[and]
58	58	(8) issues concerning sex offender characteristics;
59	59	and
60	60	(9) methods for evaluating the validity of a service
61	61	or intervention to address child abuse or neglect or family
62	62	violence that may be ordered by the court in a suit affecting the
63	63	parent-child relationship under Title 5, Family Code, to ensure the
64	64	service or intervention is effective, has therapeutic value, and is
65	65	physically and psychologically safe.
66	66	SECTION 4. Section 22.110(d), Government Code, is amended
67	67	to read as follows:
68	68	(d) The instruction must be evidence-based and include
69	69	information about:
70	70	(1) statutory and case law relating to videotaping a
71	71	child's testimony and relating to competency of children to
72	72	testify;
73	73	(2) methods for eliminating the trauma to the child
74	74	caused by the court process;
75	75	(3) case law, statutory law, and procedural rules
76	76	relating to family violence, sexual assault, trafficking of
77	77	persons, and child abuse and neglect;
78	78	(4) methods for providing protection for victims of
79	79	family violence, sexual assault, trafficking of persons, and child
80	80	abuse and neglect;
81	81	(5) available community and state resources for
82	82	counseling and other aid to victims and to offenders;
83	83	(6) gender bias in the judicial process;
84	84	(7) dynamics and effects of being a victim of sexual
85	85	assault, trafficking of persons, or child abuse and neglect;
86	86	(8) dynamics of sexual abuse of children, including
87	87	child abuse accommodation syndrome and grooming;
88	88	(9) impact of substance abuse on an unborn child and on
89	89	a person's ability to care for a child;
90	90	(10) issues of attachment and bonding between children
91	91	and caregivers;
92	92	(11) issues of child development that pertain to
93	93	trafficking of persons and child abuse and neglect;
94	94	(12) medical findings regarding physical abuse,
95	95	sexual abuse, trafficking of persons, and child abuse and neglect;
96	96	[and]
97	97	(13) dynamics of family violence; and
98	98	(14) methods for evaluating the validity of a service
99	99	or intervention to address family violence or child abuse or
100	100	neglect that may be ordered by the court in a suit affecting the
101	101	parent-child relationship under Title 5, Family Code, to ensure the
102	102	service or intervention is effective, has therapeutic value, and is
103	103	physically and psychologically safe.
104	104	SECTION 5. The changes in law made by this Act to Chapter
105	105	153, Family Code, apply to a suit affecting the parent-child
106	106	relationship that is pending in a trial court on the effective date
107	107	of this Act or that is filed on or after the effective date of this
108	108	Act.
109	109	SECTION 6. (a) As soon as practicable after the effective
110	110	date of this Act, the Supreme Court of Texas shall adopt the rules
111	111	necessary to provide the training required under Section 22.011,
112	112	Government Code, as amended by this Act.
113	113	(b) As soon as practicable after the effective date of this
114	114	Act, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals shall adopt the rules
115	115	necessary to provide the training required under Section 22.110,
116	116	Government Code, as amended by this Act.
117	117	SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.