1113 (H.B. Sec. Sec. 1, eff. 153.135. (a) If a party to a suit affecting the parent-child relationship opposes an application to compel arbitration or makes an application to stay arbitration and asserts that the contract containing the agreement to arbitrate is not valid or enforceable, notwithstanding any provision of the contract to the contrary, the court shall try the issue promptly and may order arbitration only if the court determines that the contract containing the agreement to arbitrate is valid and enforceable against the party seeking to avoid arbitration. September 1, 2005. In determining whether to award electronic communication, the court shall consider: (1) whether electronic communication is in the best interest of the child; (2) whether equipment necessary to facilitate the electronic communication is reasonably available to all parties subject to the order; and. (2) the appointment of the nonparent, agency, or Department of Family and Protective Services as managing conservator is in the best interest of the child. 751, Sec. (c) Repealed by Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. RIGHT TO PRIVACY; DELETION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION IN RECORDS. 153.002. (5) if feasible, recommend that the parties use an alternative dispute resolution method before requesting enforcement or modification of the terms and conditions of the joint conservatorship through litigation, except in an emergency. These standard possession order options are provided to the noncustodial parent to choose from at the time the order is being completed unless the court finds a selection is not in the best interest of the child. 916 (H.B. 751, Sec. 1, eff. (6) is in the best interest of the child. (a) If a written agreed parenting plan is filed with the court, the court shall render an order appointing the parents as joint managing conservators only if the parenting plan: (1) designates the conservator who has the exclusive right to designate the primary residence of the child and: (A) establishes, until modified by further order, the geographic area within which the conservator shall maintain the child's primary residence; or. September 1, 2007. 949, Sec. 1289, Sec. Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. PARENTING PLAN FOR JOINT MANAGING CONSERVATORSHIP. Unless limited by court order, a parent appointed as sole managing conservator of a child has the rights and duties provided by Subchapter B and the following exclusive rights: (1) the right to designate the primary residence of the child; (2) the right to consent to medical, dental, and surgical treatment involving invasive procedures; (3) the right to consent to psychiatric and psychological treatment; (4) the right to receive and give receipt for periodic payments for the support of the child and to hold or disburse these funds for the benefit of the child; (5) the right to represent the child in legal action and to make other decisions of substantial legal significance concerning the child; (6) the right to consent to marriage and to enlistment in the armed forces of the United States; (7) the right to make decisions concerning the child's education; (8) the right to the services and earnings of the child; (9) except when a guardian of the child's estate or a guardian or attorney ad litem has been appointed for the child, the right to act as an agent of the child in relation to the child's estate if the child's action is required by a state, the United States, or a foreign government; and. The court shall order the following general terms and conditions of possession of a child to apply without regard to the distance between the residence of a parent and the child: (1) the managing conservator shall surrender the child to the possessory conservator at the beginning of each period of the possessory conservator's possession at the residence of the managing conservator; (2) if the possessory conservator elects to begin a period of possession at the time the child's school is regularly dismissed, the managing conservator shall surrender the child to the possessory conservator at the beginning of each period of possession at the school in which the child is enrolled; (3) the possessory conservator shall be ordered to do one of the following: (A) the possessory conservator shall surrender the child to the managing conservator at the end of each period of possession at the residence of the possessory conservator; or. 153.191. Sec. (3) if necessary equipment is reasonably available, accommodate electronic communication with the child, with the same privacy, respect, and dignity accorded all other forms of access, at a reasonable time and for a reasonable duration subject to any limitation provided by the court in the court's order. POSSESSION OF OR ACCESS TO GRANDCHILD. REPORT OF PARENTING COORDINATOR. April 20, 1995. 153.708. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), a final order in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship must include a parenting plan. 153.501. (a) The court shall determine whether the qualifications of a proposed parenting facilitator satisfy the requirements of this section. (e) It is a rebuttable presumption that it is not in the best interest of a child for a parent to have unsupervised visitation with the child if credible evidence is presented of a history or pattern of past or present child neglect or abuse or family violence by: (2) any person who resides in that parent's household or who is permitted by that parent to have unsupervised access to the child during that parent's periods of possession of or access to the child. Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. Amended by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. (b) If the court finds that there is credible evidence of a risk of abduction of the child by a parent of the child based on the court's consideration of the factors in Subsection (a), the court shall also consider evidence regarding the following factors to evaluate the risk of international abduction of the child by a parent: (1) whether the parent has strong familial, emotional, or cultural ties to another country, particularly a country that is not a signatory to or compliant with the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction; and. 1036, Sec. Sec. 20, Sec. (6) has a criminal history or a history of violating court orders. Temporary orders rendered under this subchapter may be enforced by or against the designated person to the same extent that an order would be enforceable against the conservator who has been ordered to military deployment, military mobilization, or temporary military duty. Under those laws, the Standard Possession Order sets forth different visitation periods when the parents live 100 miles or less apart, and more than 100 miles apart. 1012), Sec. (b) A parenting facilitator who, after being appointed in a suit, discovers that the parenting facilitator has a conflict of interest with, or has previous knowledge of, a party or a child who is the subject of the suit shall: (1) immediately disclose the conflict or previous knowledge to the court, each attorney for a party, any attorney for a child, and any party who does not have an attorney; and. 1 (S.B. Sec. Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. (9) for weekend periods of possession that are extended under Section 153.315(a) by a student holiday or teacher in-service day that falls on a Monday, ending at 8 a.m. Tuesday. 1181 (H.B. Sept. 1, 1999; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1, eff. 252), Sec. LIMITATION ON RIGHT TO REQUEST POSSESSION OR ACCESS. CHILD LESS THAN THREE YEARS OF AGE. 261), Sec. 37, eff. PRESUMPTION THAT PARENT TO BE APPOINTED POSSESSORY CONSERVATOR. (c) A parenting coordinator or parenting facilitator may not draft a document listed in Subsection (b)(1). (B) the award of additional periods of possession of or access to the child is in the best interest of the child. 2, eff. 1012), Sec. DEFINITIONS. 25, eff. (a-1) Except as otherwise provided by this section, the court may remove the parenting coordinator in the court's discretion. 1113 (H.B. Sec. 1088 (S.B. Sept. 1, 2003. EXPEDITED HEARING. Sept. 1, 2003. Sec. Amended by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 9, Sec. APPOINTMENT OF POSSESSORY CONSERVATOR. 1, eff. (e) A parenting facilitator may not serve in any other professional capacity at any other time with any person who is a party to, or the subject of, the suit in which the person serves as parenting facilitator, or with any member of the family of a party or subject. Amended by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. April 20, 1995. Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 555), Sec. (b) The procedural and substantive standards regarding an agreed or court-ordered joint managing conservatorship provided by Subchapter C apply to a nonparent joint managing conservator. 1012), Sec. (b) The temporary order for visitation must provide that: (1) the designated person under this section has the right to possession of the child for the periods and in the manner in which the conservator described by Subsection (a) would be entitled if not ordered to military deployment, military mobilization, or temporary military duty; (3) the designated person under this section has the rights and duties of a nonparent possessory conservator under Section 153.376(a) during the period that the designated person has possession of the child; and. (c) In making an appointment authorized by this section, the court shall consider whether, preceding the filing of the suit or during the pendency of the suit: (1) a party engaged in a history or pattern of family violence, as defined by Section 71.004; (2) a party engaged in a history or pattern of child abuse or child neglect; or. HOLIDAY POSSESSION UNAFFECTED BY DISTANCE PARENTS RESIDE APART. PARENTS WHO RESIDE OVER 100 MILES APART. (b) An order granting possession of or access to a child by a grandparent that is rendered over a parent's objections must state, with specificity that: (1) at the time the relief was requested, at least one biological or adoptive parent of the child had not had that parent's parental rights terminated; (2) the grandparent requesting possession of or access to the child has overcome the presumption that a parent acts in the best interest of the parent's child by proving by a preponderance of the evidence that the denial of possession of or access to the child would significantly impair the child's physical health or emotional well-being; and. 153.312. The order shall provide that the parties not be required to have face-to-face contact and that the parties be placed in separate rooms during mediation. April 20, 1995. 153.073. COURT TO SPECIFY RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF PARENT APPOINTED A CONSERVATOR. 153.015. If a parenting facilitator is appointed, the court shall order appropriate measures be taken to ensure the physical and emotional safety of the party who filed the objection. 5, eff. 153.075. (c) The notice required to be made under Subsection (b) must be made as soon as practicable but not later than the 40th day after the date the conservator of the child begins to reside with the person or the 10th day after the date the marriage occurs, as appropriate. Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1, eff. 751, Sec. 16, eff. 14, eff. June 14, 2019. NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation.Read Latest Draft Bill Title: Relating to the beginning and ending possession times in certain standard possession orders in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship. 1036, Sec. September 1, 2007. In summary: If the possessory conservator ("PC") lives 50 miles or less from the child's primary residence, the Alternative Beginning and Ending Times (Expanded Standard Possession Order "ESPO") will apply, unless the PC opts out of one or more of the alternative beginning and ending times specified in 153.317 (a), Family Code. Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. September 1, 2009. June 17, 2011. Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. (ii) is not appointed under another statute or a rule of civil procedure. 20, Sec. (b) Except as otherwise provided by this section, the court may remove the parenting facilitator in the court's discretion. 20, Sec. (b) A nonparent possessory conservator has any other right or duty specified in the order. September 1, 2009. 1191 (H.B. 751, Sec. (5) if the managing conservator gives the possessory conservator written notice by April 15 of each year, the managing conservator may designate 21 days beginning not earlier than the day after the child's school is dismissed for the summer vacation and ending not later than seven days before school resumes at the end of the summer vacation, to be exercised in not more than two separate periods of at least seven consecutive days each, with each period of possession beginning and ending at 6 p.m. on each applicable day, during which the possessory conservator may not have possession of the child, provided that the period or periods so designated do not interfere with the possessory conservator's period or periods of extended summer possession or with Father's Day if the possessory conservator is the father of the child. family violence concerns. September 1, 2007. (2) "Family violence" has the meaning assigned by Section 71.004. Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 153.252. April 20, 1995. 421 (S.B. This subsection does not affect the duty of a person to report abuse or neglect under Section 261.101. (b) If the conservator described by Subsection (a) petitions the court under Subsection (a), the court: (1) shall compute the periods of possession or access to the child described by Subsection (a)(1); and. 1.045, eff. 1, eff. 1181, Sec. 13, eff. (e) If the parties have been ordered by the court to attempt to settle parenting issues with the assistance of a parenting facilitator and are unable to settle those issues, the parenting facilitator may make recommendations, other than recommendations regarding the conservatorship of or possession of or access to the child, to the parties and attorneys to implement or clarify provisions of an existing court order that are consistent with the substantive intent of the court order and in the best interest of the child who is the subject of the suit. Sept. 1, 1999; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 845), Sec. Texas Standard Possession Order specifies the noncustodial parent's visitation schedule, including weekends, holidays, spring break, summer vacation and other important events in the child's life. (3) other information regarding any relationship with an attorney, party, or child in the suit that might reasonably affect the ability of the person to act impartially during the person's service as parenting facilitator. SUBCHAPTER B. 1167 (S.B. A biological or adoptive grandparent may not request possession of or access to a grandchild if: (1) each of the biological parents of the grandchild has: (B) had the person's parental rights terminated; or, (C) executed an affidavit of waiver of interest in child or an affidavit of relinquishment of parental rights under Chapter 161 and the affidavit designates the Department of Family and Protective Services, a licensed child-placing agency, or a person other than the child's stepparent as the managing conservator of the child; and. April 20, 1995. (b) A grandparent may request possession of or access to a grandchild in a suit filed for the sole purpose of requesting the relief, without regard to whether the appointment of a managing conservator is an issue in the suit. Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 1237), Sec. On request by the court, the parties, or the parties' attorneys, the parenting coordinator shall sign a statement of agreement to comply with those guidelines and submit the statement to the court on acceptance of the appointment. Sept. 1, 1997. 153.606. The Court ORDERS each conservator to obey this Standard Possession Order. Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. (c) The appointment of a parenting facilitator does not divest the court of: (1) the exclusive jurisdiction to determine issues of conservatorship, support, and possession of and access to the child; and. 751, Sec. The court may limit the rights and duties of a parent appointed as a conservator if the court makes a written finding that the limitation is in the best interest of the child.