Bill Text: TX HB770 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Enrolled

Texas House Bill 770 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Relating to the establishment of an electronic database for settlement agreements for certain suits involving minors or incapacitated persons; authorizing a fee.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Passed) 2019-06-10 - Effective on 9/1/19 [HB770 Detail]

Download: Texas-2019-HB770-Enrolled.html



	H.B. No. 770




	AN ACT
	relating to the establishment of an electronic database for
	settlement agreements for certain suits involving minors or
	incapacitated persons; authorizing a fee.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 72, Government Code, is
	amended by adding Section 72.034 to read as follows:
	Sec. 72.034. SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT DATABASE. (a) The
	office shall establish and maintain an electronic database that
	contains personal injury or wrongful death settlement agreements
	for which a minor or incapacitated person is the beneficiary. A
	party to the agreement or a guardian, next friend, or guardian ad
	litem may record the agreement in the database. Only one copy of an
	agreement may be filed by the parties or the guardian, next friend,
	or guardian ad litem in each settlement agreement.
	(b) A settlement agreement recorded in the database is
	confidential, and the office shall ensure that a settlement
	agreement may be accessed only by:
	(1) the parties to the settlement agreement;
	(2) each attorney representing a party to the
	settlement agreement; or
	(3) the guardian, next friend, or guardian ad litem of
	a party to the settlement agreement.
	(c) The office may set and collect a fee to record a
	settlement agreement in the database in an amount sufficient to
	cover the costs of maintaining the agreement in the database, not to
	exceed $50 for each agreement.
	(d) Any fee to record a settlement agreement in the database
	established by the office as provided by Subsection (c) is a court
	cost to be included for payment in the settlement agreement.
	SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies to a
	suit filed on behalf of a minor or incapacitated person that is
	pending in a trial court on the effective date of this Act or that is
	filed on or after the effective date of this Act.
	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.


	______________________________	______________________________
	President of the Senate	Speaker of the House


	I certify that H.B. No. 770 was passed by the House on April
	9, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 148, Nays 0, 1 present, not
	voting.

	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House


	I certify that H.B. No. 770 was passed by the Senate on May
	21, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

	______________________________
	Secretary of the Senate
	APPROVED: _____________________
	Date

	_____________________
	Governor