Relating to requirements for certain orders and judgments rendered in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship.
HB 4035 modifies Texas family court procedures for cases involving parent-child relationships. It requires courts to obtain a party's email address for electronic delivery of legal notices (like motions or orders) when a protective order prohibits disclosing personal information. The bill also mandates that courts issue separate judgments for attorney fees and unpaid child support arrears. These changes apply to all pending or future cases in the family court system, effective September 1, 2025.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Mar 27, 2025
Last action May 16, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Introduced
→
Engrossed
·
4 edits
·
May 15, 2025
MODERATE
This bill amends the Texas Family Code to improve how courts handle electronic communication in family law cases. It adds requirements for parties to provide email addresses for legal notices, creates an exception for cases where providing an email could endanger a party's safety, and clarifies how attorney fees and child support judgments should be issued separately.
Scope change
The bill expands the scope of electronic communication requirements in family law cases by adding new subsections to existing Family Code sections, while also adding a safety exception that was not previously codified in this manner.
REQUIREMENT
Added requirement for parties to provide email addresses for receiving legal notices and documents in family law cases
Added exception allowing courts to waive email requirements if providing an email could endanger a party's safety
Clarified that attorney fees and child support judgments must be rendered separately from arrearage confirmations
TIMELINE
Set the effective date of the Act to September 1, 2025
Floor votes · House May 15, 2025
How they voted
138–0
Passed · 6 other
Total votes 144
May 15, 2025
D
Democratic60
93% Yea
R
Republican84
97% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
29
Key actions
8
Committee
8
May 16, 2025
Committee
Referred to Jurisprudence
upper
May 16, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
May 15, 2025
Introduced
Received from the House
upper
May 15, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
May 14, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed to engrossment
lower
May 6, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
May 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
Apr 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably as substituted
lower
Apr 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
Recalled from subcommittee
lower
Apr 14, 2025
Lower · Passed
Left pending in subcommittee
lower
Apr 14, 2025
Lower · Passed
Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in subcommittee
lower
Mar 27, 2025
Committee
Referred to s/c on Family & Fiduciary Relationships by Speaker
lower
Mar 27, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Harold Dutton
DDemocratic
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