Bill > HB1671

This bill modifies Texas Family Code provisions related to parentage and child support, primarily focusing on retroactive child support and establishing parentage. The bill introduces a presumption that courts can order retroactive child support starting from the earliest possible date of a child's conception, which can be determined by medical professionals or through other evidence. Courts are now required to order the obligor (the person paying support) to pay an equitable portion of prenatal and postnatal healthcare expenses for the mother and child. The bill also changes several procedural aspects of parentage determination, including allowing in utero genetic testing only when requested by the pregnant mother and modifying rules about when parentage proceedings can be initiated or concluded before a child's birth. Additionally, the bill adjusts the timing of when acknowledgments of paternity take effect, now basing it solely on filing with the vital statistics unit rather than considering the child's birth date. The changes will apply to orders, acknowledgments, and proceedings on or after September 1, 2025, ensuring a clear transition period for implementation of these new legal provisions.

Budget and Finance

https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=HB1671