HBA-NLM, C.S.H.B. 625 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 625 By: Reyna, Arthur Juvenile Justice and Family Issues 3/29/1999 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current law provides that the hearing date to finalize an adoption must be held 40 to 60 days after the later of the date a court orders a social study evaluation (regarding the suitability of a prospective adoptive parent) or the date of a request for criminal history record information. C.S.H.B. 625 deletes the provision allowing for the latest possible date for a hearing on an adoption to be 60 days after the social study is ordered or criminal history record information is requested. This bill authorizes the court to set the hearing at any time before the time provided in this section, if the hearing date provides adequate time for filing the social study and notifying the court of the criminal history record information for a person seeking to adopt the child. 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. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 162.004, Family Code, as amended by Section 74, Chapter 751, and Section 1, Chapter 908, Acts of the 74 Legislature, Regular Session, 1995, by reenacting and amending, as follows: Sec. 162.004. TIME FOR HEARING. Deletes the provision requiring the court to set the date for a hearing on an adoption under this chapter at a time not later than the 60th day after the later of the date the social study is ordered or the date criminal history record information is requested under Section 162.0085 (Criminal History Report Required). Authorizes the court to set the hearing at any time before the time provided in this section, if the hearing date provides adequate time for filing the social study and notifying the court of the criminal history record information for a person seeking to adopt the child. Deletes the phrase "for good cause shown" relating to the court's authority to set a hearing date. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1999. Makes application of this Act prospective. SECTION 3. Emergency clause. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.H.B. 625 modifies the original in SECTION 1 (Section 162.004, Family Code) by deleting the provision in Subsection (a) requiring the court to set the date for a hearing on an adoption under this chapter at a time not later than the 60th day after the later of the date the social study is ordered or the date criminal history record information is requested under Section 162.0085 (Criminal History Report Required), rather than increasing the latest date for a hearing on an adoption to the 180th day after. The substitute modifies the original by amending existing Subsection (b) to authorize the court to set the hearing at any time before the time provided in Subsection (a), if the hearing date provides adequate time for filing the social study and notifying the court of the criminal history record information for a person seeking to adopt the child. Deletes the phrase "for good cause shown" relating to the court's authority to set a hearing date.