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HB1973 • 2025

Relating to proof of the identity of a child's parents in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship.

Relating to proof of the identity of a child's parents in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship.

Children
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Cook
Last action
2025-06-20
Official status
06/20/2025 E Effective on 9/1/25
Effective date
2025-06-20

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Relating to proof of the identity of a child's parents in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship.

Relating to proof of the identity of a child's parents in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship.

What This Bill Does

  • Relating to proof of the identity of a child's parents in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-06-20 Texas Legislature Online

    Signed by the Governor

  2. 2025-06-20 Texas Legislature Online

    Effective on 9/1/25

  3. 2025-06-02 Texas Legislature Online

    Sent to the Governor

  4. 2025-06-01 Texas Legislature Online

    Signed in the House

  5. 2025-06-01 Texas Legislature Online

    Signed in the Senate

  6. 2025-05-31 Texas Legislature Online

    Reported enrolled

  7. 2025-05-30 Texas Legislature Online

    House concurs in Senate amendment(s)

  8. 2025-05-30 Texas Legislature Online

    Record vote. RV#4069

  9. 2025-05-30 Texas Legislature Online

    Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal

  10. 2025-05-30 Texas Legislature Online

    Text of Senate Amendment(s)

  11. 2025-05-30 Texas Legislature Online

    House concurs in Senate amendment(s)-reported

  12. 2025-05-29 Texas Legislature Online

    Senate passage as amended reported

  13. 2025-05-29 Texas Legislature Online

    Senate Amendments distributed

  14. 2025-05-29 Texas Legislature Online

    Senate Amendments Analysis distributed

  15. 2025-05-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Placed on local & uncontested calendar

  16. 2025-05-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Laid before the Senate

  17. 2025-05-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Read 2nd time & passed to 3rd reading

  18. 2025-05-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Vote recorded in Journal

  19. 2025-05-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Three day rule suspended

  20. 2025-05-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Record vote

  21. 2025-05-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Read 3rd time

  22. 2025-05-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Passed

  23. 2025-05-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Record vote

  24. 2025-05-23 Texas Legislature Online

    Reported favorably as substituted

  25. 2025-05-23 Texas Legislature Online

    Recommended for local & uncontested calendar

  26. 2025-05-23 Texas Legislature Online

    Committee report printed and distributed

  27. 2025-05-21 Texas Legislature Online

    Scheduled for public hearing on . . .

  28. 2025-05-21 Texas Legislature Online

    Considered in public hearing

  29. 2025-05-21 Texas Legislature Online

    Vote taken in committee

  30. 2025-05-05 Texas Legislature Online

    Received from the House

  31. 2025-05-05 Texas Legislature Online

    Read first time

  32. 2025-05-05 Texas Legislature Online

    Referred to Jurisprudence

  33. 2025-05-02 Texas Legislature Online

    Read 3rd time

  34. 2025-05-02 Texas Legislature Online

    Passed

  35. 2025-05-02 Texas Legislature Online

    Record vote. RV#1299

  36. 2025-05-02 Texas Legislature Online

    Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal

  37. 2025-05-02 Texas Legislature Online

    Reported engrossed

  38. 2025-05-01 Texas Legislature Online

    Placed on General State Calendar

  39. 2025-05-01 Texas Legislature Online

    Read 2nd time

  40. 2025-05-01 Texas Legislature Online

    Passed to engrossment

  41. 2025-05-01 Texas Legislature Online

    Record vote. RV#1193

  42. 2025-05-01 Texas Legislature Online

    Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal

  43. 2025-04-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Considered in Calendars

  44. 2025-04-25 Texas Legislature Online

    Committee report sent to Calendars

  45. 2025-04-23 Texas Legislature Online

    Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator

  46. 2025-04-23 Texas Legislature Online

    Committee report distributed

  47. 2025-04-09 Texas Legislature Online

    Recalled from subcommittee

  48. 2025-04-09 Texas Legislature Online

    Considered in public hearing

  49. 2025-04-09 Texas Legislature Online

    Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)

  50. 2025-03-24 Texas Legislature Online

    Scheduled for public hearing in s/c on . . .

  51. 2025-03-24 Texas Legislature Online

    Considered by s/c in public hearing

  52. 2025-03-24 Texas Legislature Online

    Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in subcommittee

  53. 2025-03-24 Texas Legislature Online

    Left pending in subcommittee

  54. 2025-03-14 Texas Legislature Online

    Read first time

  55. 2025-03-14 Texas Legislature Online

    Referred to s/c on Family & Fiduciary Relationships by Speaker

  56. 2025-01-22 Texas Legislature Online

    Filed

Official Summary Text

Relating to proof of the identity of a child's parents in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
89(R) HB 1973 - Enrolled version - Bill Text

H.B. No. 1973

AN ACT

relating to proof of the identity of a child's parents in a suit

affecting the parent-child relationship.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 102.008, Family Code, is amended by

adding Subsection (c-1) and amending Subsection (d) to read as

follows:

(c-1)

The petitioner shall additionally submit to the court

a certified copy of the child's birth certificate if available to

the petitioner.

If a certified copy of the child's birth

certificate is not available to the petitioner, the court at any

time during the pendency of the suit may request another party to

whom a certified copy of the child's birth certificate is available

to submit a copy to the court. A certified copy of the child's birth

certificate submitted under this subsection must be submitted for

filing under seal and filed separately from any other document.

If

a certified copy of the child's birth certificate is not available

to any party or if the copy does not name both of the child's

parents, the court may request from any party at any time during the

pendency of the suit alternative proof of the identity of the

child's parents. The court shall seal or otherwise keep

confidential any certificate or other proof submitted under this

subsection, as applicable.

(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, if

the Title IV-D agency files a petition in a suit affecting the

parent-child relationship, the agency is not required to:

(1) include in the petition the statement described by

Subsection (b)(11); [
or
]

(2) attach copies of the documentation described by

Subsection (c)
; or

(3)

submit to the court a copy of a child's birth

certificate or other proof of the identity of the child's parents as

described by Subsection (c-1)
.

SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies to a

suit affecting the parent-child relationship that is filed on or

after the effective date of this Act. A suit affecting the

parent-child relationship filed before the effective date of this

Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the suit was filed,

and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.

______________________________

______________________________

President of the Senate

Speaker of the House

I certify that H.B. No. 1973 was passed by the House on May 2,

2025, by the following vote: Yeas 133, Nays 0, 1 present, not

voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.

No. 1973 on May 30, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 133, Nays 2,

2 present, not voting.

______________________________

Chief Clerk of the House

I certify that H.B. No. 1973 was passed by the Senate, with

amendments, on May 28, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays

0.

______________________________

Secretary of the Senate

APPROVED: __________________

Date

__________________

Governor