Texas House bill by Rep. Dutton revises grounds for involuntary termination of parental rights

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Harold Dutton Jr. seeks to revise the grounds for involuntary termination of parental rights, aiming to address abandonment, endangerment, and other specified misconduct in family law, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the House, 53 Democrats and 83 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, with no opposition.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 11 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor, also with no opposing votes.

Harold Dutton Jr. introduced the bill in the Texas House on Friday, March 14, during the 89th regular legislative session.

Dutton graduated from Texas Southern University in 1991 with a BBA and again in 1996 from Thurgood Marshall School of Law with a JD.

Dutton, a Democrat, was elected to the Texas State House in 1985 to represent the state’s 142nd House district, replacing previous state representative El Franco Lee.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to grounds for the involuntary termination of the parent-child relationship’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends the Texas Family Code to revise the grounds for involuntary termination of the parent-child relationship. It allows the court to order child support from financially able individuals whose parental rights have been terminated under specific circumstances, including when a child is subject to substitute care or conceived as a result of certain criminal offenses. Termination of parental rights may occur if clear and convincing evidence shows that the parent has either abandoned or endangered the child, failed to support the child, been criminally responsible for harm to a child, or other specified misconduct. These changes apply to pending and future suits as of the bill’s effective date, Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill was co-authored by Rep. Jolanda Jones (Democrat – District 147).

The bill received its final legislative approval on Wednesday, May 14, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday, May 28.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.