Relating to the enforcement of an order to pay child support by contempt and the accrual of interest on certain child support arrearages.
HB 557 modifies Texas law to prevent courts from finding parents in contempt for unpaid child support if they provide evidence of two specific circumstances. It requires parents to show either current payment records (via receipts or bank statements) or proof that payment delays resulted from third-party errors (like banking issues) or situations outside their control. The bill applies only to child support enforcement hearings starting on or after September 1, 2025, leaving past cases governed by prior law. This change directly affects parents facing contempt charges for missed child support payments.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Mar 3, 2025
Last action May 21, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Introduced
→
Engrossed
·
3 edits
·
May 13, 2025
MINOR
This bill modifies Texas child support enforcement laws to provide relief to parents who cannot pay due to third-party errors or circumstances beyond their control. It prevents courts from finding parents in contempt for missed payments under these specific conditions and stops interest from accruing on confirmed child support judgments when such errors occur.
Scope change
The bill expands protections for parents facing child support enforcement actions by adding new exemptions from contempt findings and interest accrual, applying only to hearings and judgments commencing or rendered on or after September 1, 2025.
ENFORCEMENT
Added a new provision preventing courts from finding parents in contempt if they appear at hearings with either proof of current payments or a payment plan, provided their failure to pay was due to third-party errors or circumstances outside their control.
Added a provision stopping interest from accruing on confirmed child support arrearage judgments when the court finds the failure to pay was caused by third-party errors or circumstances beyond the respondent's control.
TIMELINE
Established that these new protections apply only to hearings commencing on or after September 1, 2025, and judgments rendered on or after that date, with prior cases governed by existing law.
Floor votes · House May 13, 2025
How they voted
101–33
Passed · 9 other
Total votes 143
May 13, 2025
D
Democratic59
94% Yea
R
Republican84
53% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
28
Key actions
8
Committee
8
May 21, 2025
Committee
Referred to Jurisprudence
upper
May 21, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
May 14, 2025
Introduced
Received from the House
upper
May 13, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
May 12, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed to engrossment
lower
May 7, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
May 7, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
May 1, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably as substituted
lower
May 1, 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 3, 2025
Committee
Referred to s/c on Family & Fiduciary Relationships by Speaker
lower
Mar 3, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
1 primary · 7 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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