HB 2558 Texas House · 89th Legislature (2025)

Relating to the child support obligation of an obligor during the obligor's confinement in jail or prison.

HB 2558 modifies Texas law to protect incarcerated parents from being held in contempt for unpaid child support under specific conditions. It prevents courts from finding a parent in contempt if they demonstrate they were confined in jail or prison for at least 90 consecutive days (excluding confinement for family violence offenses or prior non-compliance with child support orders) and lacked resources to pay during that time. The bill applies to hearings beginning on or after September 1, 2025, and requires the parent or their attorney to present credible evidence at the hearing. This change directly affects parents serving prison sentences who face child support enforcement actions.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2025
House Passage
Apr 2025
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Mar 17, 2025 Last action Apr 30, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Engrossed · 4 edits · Apr 29, 2025
MODERATE
This bill amends the Texas Family Code to prevent courts from holding parents in contempt for failing to pay child support while they are incarcerated. The law now requires that the parent appear at the hearing (or have their attorney appear if the parent is confined) and provide evidence that the unpaid support accrued during at least 90 consecutive days of confinement in jail or prison.
Scope change
The bill expands the protection against contempt findings to explicitly require proof of confinement duration (90+ consecutive days) and mandates that the respondent or their attorney appear at the hearing to present evidence.
ENFORCEMENT

Courts cannot find a respondent in contempt for failing to pay child support if they are confined in jail or prison and meet specific conditions.

REQUIREMENT

The respondent or their attorney must appear at the hearing and present credible evidence showing unpaid support accrued during at least 90 consecutive days of confinement.

ELIGIBILITY

The bill clarifies that this protection applies to hearings commencing on or after the effective date, with prior hearings governed by existing law.

TIMELINE

The law takes effect September 1, 2025.

Floor votes · House Apr 29, 2025

How they voted

1431
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 145
Apr 29, 2025
D Democratic60
58 Yea 1 Nay 1
96% Yea
R Republican85
85 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
29
Key actions
8
Committee
8
Apr 30, 2025
Committee
Referred to Jurisprudence
upper
Apr 30, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
Apr 29, 2025
Introduced
Received from the House
upper
Apr 29, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
Apr 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed to engrossment
lower
Apr 17, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
Apr 16, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
Apr 8, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably as substituted
lower
Apr 8, 2025
Lower · Passed
Recalled from subcommittee
lower
Mar 24, 2025
Lower · Passed
Left pending in subcommittee
lower
Mar 24, 2025
Lower · Passed
Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in subcommittee
lower
Mar 17, 2025
Committee
Referred to s/c on Family & Fiduciary Relationships by Speaker
lower
Mar 17, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
2 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors