HBA-CBW, LJP H.B. 1452 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1452 By: Menendez Juvenile Justice & Family Issues 2/19/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Under current law, if the court finds that a person has failed to pay child support or has been found in contempt of an order of the court, the court is authorized to place the person on community supervision instead of confinement in jail. Community supervision allows the person to pay all child support arrearages and receive counseling on financial planning, conflict resolution, and alcohol or drug abuse. House Bill 1452 authorizes the court to add requirements relating to seeking employment assistance services and participating in mediation or other services to alleviate conditions that prevent a person from obeying the court's order. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 1452 amends the Family and Labor codes to authorize a court to order community supervision that includes the requirement that the respondent seek employment assistance services offered by the Texas Workforce Commission (commission), if appropriate, and participate in mediation or other services to alleviate conditions that prevent the respondent from obeying the court's order. The bill requires the commission to provide employment assistance services to a respondent referred to the commission by a court that places the respondent on community supervision. The bill repeals the court's authorization to place a respondent on community supervision in which the respondent is required to report to a corrections department officer and in which a corrections department officer is permitted to visit the respondent at the respondent's home or elsewhere. The bill requires the court to deposit community supervision fees in certain funds contingent on the employment of the community supervision officer, rather than only in the special fund of the county treasury. The bill authorizes a domestic relations office to file a verified motion alleging specifically that certain conduct of the respondent constitutes a violation of the terms and conditions of community supervision. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.