FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 23, 2003
E-mail: HB1899@pipca.org

NEW LAW ENACTED IN TEXAS TO PREVENT INTERNATIONAL PARENTAL CHILD ABDUCTION

HOUSTON -- Texas Governor Perry has signed landmark legislation HB 1899, Prevention of International Parental Child Abduction, to be added to Chapter 153 of the Texas Family Code (as Subsections 153.501-153.503), effective immediately. HB 1899 was introduced to the Texas House of Representatives by State Representative Joe Nixon, at the request of Cathy Brown and Teresa Lauderdale, and was sponsored in the Texas Senate by Senator Jane Nelson. HB1899 passed both chambers unanimously.

"This legislation will give our courts the tools they need to prevent children from being abducted into foreign countries where they are out of the reach of our laws. No child should be forcibly separated from their mother or father, and the courts must step in to protect that child whenever there is a flight risk, especially into nations that do not cooperate with our courts." Senator Nelson said. "International child abduction is not only devastating to the child and parent, it creates an enormous financial burden both for the parent and for the government to recover and return the missing child."

Without the safeguards in HB 1899, a parent has no means to protect their child even if they know an abduction is about to take place or is in progress. There are a number of cases where parents pleaded for safeguards from Courts unsuccessfully; the children were then abducted, never to be heard from again.

Abduction is a selfish act, often done for revenge, and is a form of abuse. Children have a right to a relationship with both parents, and each parent has a right to a relationship with their child. HB 1899 will increase awareness in the courts regarding the risks, obstacles to recovery, and safeguards needed to protect at-risk children, with a goal toward facilitating a continued relationship between the child and both parents in the best interests of the child.

Information on HB 1899: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/ (Input: HB1899)
Final text: HB 1899