| Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | Neutral | Neutral | Positive | Positive | Positive |
Relating to placing a child in the possessory conservatorship of the child's parents in certain situations.
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
SB 1349 would allow a parent to file suit to modify the final order rendered in the parent-child separation case if the final order appointed someone other than the parent or the Department of Family and Protective Services to serve as the child's managing conservator and did not terminate the rights of the parent, and appoints the parent as a possessory conservator of the child. In this suit, the court would be allowed to return the child to the parent if it is in the child's best interest. The modification suit would have to be filed within two years of the date the court rendered the final order.
SB 1349 would require the Department of Family and Protective Services to review the placement of a child to determine the eligibility of returning a child to their parent after the second anniversary of the date the court rendered its final order naming another person or organization the managing conservator without terminating parental rights. At each permanency hearing after this point, the department would be required to review the child's placement to determine whether the child could be returned to the child's parent if the parent was named possessory conservator for the child. The department would be allowed to recommend reunification if it finds:
SB 1349 would allow the court to return the child to their parent if the court finds it is in the best interest of the child.
SB 1349 provides a measured way to ensure that parents who have lost conservatorship of their child are given a regularly occurring opportunity to try and have their family reunified. SB 1349 benefits the principles of personal responsibility, limited government, and promotes individual liberty. Texas Action supports SB 1349.