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Texas Family Code - Section 160.636. Order Adjudicating Parentage; Costs

Legal Research Home > Texas Lawyer > Family Code > Texas Family Code - Section 160.636. Order Adjudicating Parentage; Costs

§ 160.636. ORDER ADJUDICATING PARENTAGE;  COSTS.  (a) The 
court shall render an order adjudicating whether a man alleged or 
claiming to be the father is the parent of the child.
	(b)  An order adjudicating parentage must identify the child 
by name and date of birth.
	(c)  Except as otherwise provided by Subsection (d), the 
court may assess filing fees, reasonable attorney's fees, fees for 
genetic testing, other costs, and necessary travel and other 
reasonable expenses incurred in a proceeding under this subchapter.  
Attorney's fees awarded by the court may be paid directly to the 
attorney.  An attorney who is awarded attorney's fees may enforce 
the order in the attorney's own name.
	(d)  The court may not assess fees, costs, or expenses 
against the support enforcement agency of this state or another 
state, except as provided by other law.
	(e)  On request of a party and for good cause shown, the court 
may order that the name of the child be changed.
	(f)  If the order of the court is at variance with the child's 
birth certificate, the court shall order the bureau of vital 
statistics to issue an amended birth record.
	(g)  On a finding of parentage, the court may order 
retroactive child support as provided by Chapter 154 and, on a 
proper showing, order a party to pay an equitable portion of all of 
the prenatal and postnatal health care expenses of the mother and 
the child.
	(h)  In rendering an order for retroactive child support 
under this section, the court shall use the child support 
guidelines provided by Chapter 154, together with any relevant 
factors.

Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 821, § 1.01, eff. June 14, 
2001.      

Amendment by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1023, § 45                          

Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 392, § 2 and Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 
1023, § 45 purported to amended V.T.C.A., Family Code § 
160.005(b) [now this section] without reference to the deletion of 
that section by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 821, § 1.01.  As so 
amended, § 160.005(b) read:

"Except as provided under Section 154.131, on a finding of 
parentage, the court may order support retroactive to the time of 
the birth of the child and, on a proper showing, may order a party to 
pay an equitable portion of all prenatal and postnatal health care 
expenses of the mother and child."

Last modified: August 10, 2007