HBA-AMW H.B. 1198 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1198 By: Brimer State Affairs 3/7/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current law requires court orders regarding judicial decisions to bypass parental notification of an abortion performed on a minor to be kept confidential and exempts the decisions from public disclosure requirements. House Bill 1198 establishes a statistical information reporting requirement to be administered and developed by the Texas Supreme Court. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the Opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking authority is expressly delegated to the Texas Supreme Court in SECTION 1 (Section 33.012, Family Code) of this bill. ANALYSIS House Bill 1198 amends the Family Code to require the Texas Supreme Court (supreme court) to adopt rules governing the collection of statistical information relating to the number of applications filed, granted, and denied regarding judicial approval to bypass parental notification of an abortion performed on a minor and the number of applications deemed to be granted if the court fails to rule on the application and issue written findings of fact and conclusions of law within a specified time period. The bill also requires the supreme court to adopt rules governing the collection of statistical information relating to the number of appeals made, granted, and denied regarding judicial approval to bypass parental notification of an abortion performed on a minor and the number of appeals deemed to be granted if the court of appeals fails to rule on the appeal within a specified time period. The bill requires that the aforementioned information collected by the supreme court be made available to the public in aggregate form on a regional basis, as determined by the supreme court. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1,2001.