89R828 MLH-D     By: Guillen H.B. No. 187       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to requiring a man determined by adjudication or   acknowledgment to be a child's father to pay retroactive child   support beginning on the first day of the calendar month in which   the child's conception occurred.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 154, Family Code, is   amended by adding Section 154.0091 to read as follows:          Sec. 154.0091.  RETROACTIVE CHILD SUPPORT ON ADJUDICATION OR   ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF PATERNITY. (a)  Notwithstanding any other   provision of this chapter or other law, in any order rendered under   Chapter 160 establishing a man's paternity of a child, or in any   suit to establish the child support obligation of a man whose   paternity has been established by the execution of a valid   acknowledgment of paternity in regard to the child under Subchapter   D, Chapter 160, the court shall order the man to:                (1)  pay retroactive child support beginning on the   first day of the calendar month of the earliest possible date of the   child's conception, as determined by acknowledgement of the child's   biological parents or standard medical practice, as defined by   Section 171.201, Health and Safety Code; and                (2)  reimburse the child's mother for an equitable   portion of:                      (A)  the reasonable and necessary medical   expenses incurred by the mother and the child during gestation and   delivery and incurred by the mother during postpartum recovery that   are not reimbursed by medical insurance;                      (B)  the cost of materials purchased by the mother   in preparing for the child's birth that are necessary for the   child's health and safety, including:                            (i)  diapers;                            (ii)  a car seat;                            (iii)  a crib;                            (iv)  clothing; and                            (v)  infant formula; and                      (C)  lost wages as a result of time spent   receiving medical attention during gestation, delivery, and   postpartum recovery.          (b)  In ordering retroactive child support under Subsection   (a)(1), the court shall apply the child support guidelines provided   by this chapter. In ordering reimbursement under Subsection   (a)(2), the court shall consider the specific circumstances of the   mother's gestation, delivery, and any other relevant factor in   determining the amount constituting the equitable portion owed by   the man under that provision.          (c)  Notwithstanding Section 157.261 or any other law,   interest does not begin to accrue on a retroactive child support   payment due under this section until the first anniversary of the   date the judge renders the order establishing the man's paternity   or the man executes a valid acknowledgment of paternity with   respect to the child, as applicable.          SECTION 2.  Section 160.636(g), Family Code, is amended to   read as follows:          (g)  On a finding of parentage, the court shall [may] order   retroactive child support as provided by Section 154.0091 [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].          SECTION 3.  Section 160.636(h), Family Code, is repealed.          SECTION 4.  The changes in law made by this Act with respect   to an order adjudicating paternity apply only to an order rendered   on or after the effective date of this Act. An order adjudicating   paternity rendered before the effective date of this Act is   governed by the law in effect on the date the order is rendered, and   the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.          SECTION 5.  The changes in law made by this Act with respect   to an acknowledgment of paternity apply only to an acknowledgment   of paternity executed on or after the effective date of this Act.   An acknowledgment of paternity executed before the effective date   of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the   acknowledgment is executed, and the former law is continued in   effect for that purpose.          SECTION 6.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.