82nd Texas Legislature Convenes

The 82^nd Texas Legislature convened on Tuesday, January 11, 2011. Prefiling of bills before the Legislature began on November 8, 2010. According to the State Bar of Texas, a proposed new Chapter 161 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code is in the works. The Uniform Collaborative Law Act, “Relating to the resolution of certain disputes by collaborative law procedures,” has not yet been assigned a bill number.

A copy of the Uniform Collaborative Law Act drafted by the National Conference of Commissioners of Uniform State Law and approved in July 2009 may be viewed here. As of October 27, 2010, only Utah has enacted the law, but Texas is one of 13 states or U.S. territories with an introduction planned before its legislature this year. A recent nationwide legislative activity map is available here. In 2001, the 77^th Texas Legislature was the first in the nation to pass a Collaborative Law Statute, § 6.603 of the Texas Family Code.

You may monitor bills as they move through the Texas Legislature here. Additionally, you may view individually filed House and Senate bills. The last day of the regular Texas legislative session will be Monday, May 30, 2011. An 82^nd Texas Legislature “Dates of Interest” calendar is available here.

Stay tuned to Disputing for updates regarding legislative bills affecting ADR in Texas.

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