Bill > HB5026

This bill amends the Texas Family Code to modify the grounds for involuntary termination of parental rights, primarily by updating and reorganizing the existing list of circumstances under which a court may terminate a parent-child relationship. The bill makes several key changes, including renumbering and slightly modifying existing provisions related to parental misconduct such as child abandonment, endangerment, criminal convictions, and failure to support or maintain contact with a child. Specifically, the bill adjusts the lettering of existing grounds for termination (marked by ins and del tags), removes a provision about failing to comply with court orders for child return, and adds or clarifies grounds such as criminal conduct leading to parental confinement, causing a child to be born addicted to substances, and specific criminal convictions involving sexual assault or solicitation of a minor. The bill applies to both ongoing and future legal cases involving parent-child relationships and is set to take effect on September 1, 2025. The primary goal appears to be providing courts with clearer and more comprehensive criteria for determining when parental rights should be involuntarily terminated to protect the best interests of children.

Budget and Finance

https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=HB5026