HB 2643

Dutton bill fixing a $30,000 child support ceiling

Did not pass

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review

Initial review · graded Oct 20, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to the application of child support guidelines to net resources in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

A fixed $30,000 monthly net income cap replaces the published one.

This bill sets a fixed $30,000 monthly net income ceiling for applying Texas child support guidelines, replacing the ceiling the state child support agency publishes in the Texas Register. It also repeals a related subsection of the same Family Code section and touches parents in child support cases, especially paying parents with higher incomes. For cases filed on or after September 1, 2025, courts would apply the standard guideline percentages to a paying parent's net income up to $30,000 a month.

Labels

Labels: ZOMBIE BILL. Died 2 times: 88R HB 2583 (Did not pass) and this bill (Did not pass). Checked against 88R only.BACK FROM THE DEAD. Same text as a bill filed before that died: 88R HB 2583 (Did not pass). Filed in 2 sessions, counting this one. Checked against 88R only.TRY NO. 2. Filed in 2 sessions: 88R and 89R. Checked against 88R only.STALLED AFTER COMMITTEE. Voted out of the House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence committee 10-0 on May 8, 2025. Placed on the General State Calendar on May 15, 2025. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB2643 · 2025-02-11

SOLD BY

Rep. Harold V. Dutton Jr.DHouse 142

ITEM

relating to the application of child support guidelines to net resources in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship.

WHAT IT DOES

A fixed $30,000 monthly net income cap replaces the published one.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · May 9, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

Feb 11, 2025Filed
Mar 18, 2025Read first time
Mar 18, 2025Referred to s/c on Family & Fiduciary Relationships by Speaker
Apr 28, 2025Scheduled for public hearing in s/c on . . .
Apr 28, 2025Considered by s/c in public hearing
Apr 28, 2025Committee substitute considered in s/c
Apr 28, 2025Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in subcommittee
Apr 28, 2025Left pending in subcommittee
May 8, 2025Recalled from subcommittee
May 8, 2025Considered in formal meeting
May 8, 2025Committee substitute considered in committee
May 8, 2025Reported favorably as substituted
May 12, 2025Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
May 12, 2025Committee report distributed
May 12, 2025Committee report sent to Calendars
May 13, 2025Considered in Calendars
May 15, 2025Placed on General State Calendar

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Harold V. Dutton Jr.

Donors

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$66K Texas Sands PAC$58K Charter Schools Now PAC$36K

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Jul 29, 2024 to Oct 17, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$65,748.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$65,748.00

Cash: $32,500.00
Paid by others: $33,248.00
Total: $65,748.00

mail $33,248.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 10, 2024 to Oct 17, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100986461, 101011085, 101033172, 101044523, 101044526, 101072841.

Texas Sands PAC$58,000.00

Texas Sands PAC

$58,000.00

Cash: $58,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $58,000.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 10, 2024 to Feb 3, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100986461, 101044526.

Charter Schools Now PAC$36,000.00

Charter Schools Now PAC

$36,000.00

Cash: $1,000.00
Paid by others: $35,000.00
Total: $36,000.00

Other filed descriptions $35,000.00

Also funds 89 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 29, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jan 22, 2026 to Feb 28, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101044523, 101061631.

Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$65,748.00

Cash: $32,500.00
Paid by others: $33,248.00
Total: $65,748.00

mail $33,248.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 10, 2024 to Oct 17, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100986461, 101011085, 101033172, 101044523, 101044526, 101072841.

Texas Sands PAC

$58,000.00

Cash: $58,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $58,000.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 10, 2024 to Feb 3, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100986461, 101044526.

Charter Schools Now PAC

$36,000.00

Cash: $1,000.00
Paid by others: $35,000.00
Total: $36,000.00

Other filed descriptions $35,000.00

Also funds 89 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 29, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jan 22, 2026 to Feb 28, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101044523, 101061631.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Witnesses3

For: 3
Against: 0
On: 0

Names

For

Self1 registration
Self; Texas Family Law Foumdation1 registration
Texas Family Law Foundation1 registration

Sources

3 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.

House witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Fiscal

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · May 9, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

FILED BEFORE

Filed 2 times: 88R and 89R. Checked against 88R only.

88R HB 2583

by Rep. Dutton, same lead author · Did not pass · same text

Introduced text

Last action, May 5, 2023: Committee report sent to Calendars

Relating to the application of child support guidelines to net resources in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship.

Caption, 88R bill history

Sources

Texas House · Filed Feb 11, 2025

05/15/2025 H Placed on General State Calendar

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

House committee · Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence · Committee vote 10 aye, 0 nay, 1 absent · Out of committee

Subjects

Family--Child Support

Text

The text as introduced · 202 words

89R11451 KRM-F

By: Dutton
H.B. No. 2643

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the application of child support guidelines to net

resources in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 154.125(a), Family Code, is amended to

read as follows:

(a) The guidelines for the support of a child in this

section are specifically designed to apply to situations in which

the obligor's monthly net resources are not greater than $30,000

[ the maximum amount of net resources to which the statutory

guidelines are applicable, as most recently published by the Title

IV-D agency in the Texas Register ].

SECTION 2. Section 154.125(a-1), Family Code, is repealed.

SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act to Section

154.125, Family Code, applies only to a suit affecting the

parent-child relationship that is filed on or after the effective

date of this Act. A suit filed before the effective date of this Act

is governed by the law in effect on the date the suit is filed, and

the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.