Sec. 263.407. FINAL ORDER APPOINTING DEPARTMENT AS MANAGING CONSERVATOR OF CERTAIN ABANDONED CHILDREN; TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS. (a) There is a rebuttable presumption that a parent who delivers a child to a designated emergency infant care provider in accordance with Subchapter D, Chapter 262:

(1) is the child's biological parent;

(2) intends to relinquish parental rights and consents to the termination of parental rights with regard to the child; and

(3) intends to waive the right to notice of the suit terminating the parent-child relationship.

(a-1) A party that seeks to rebut a presumption in Subsection (a) may do so at any time before the parent-child relationship is terminated with regard to the child.

(b) If a person claims to be the parent of a child taken into possession under Subchapter D, Chapter 262, before the court renders a final order terminating the parental rights of the child's parents, the court shall order genetic testing for parentage determination unless parentage has previously been established. The court shall hold the petition for termination of the parent-child relationship in abeyance for a period not to exceed 60 days pending the results of the genetic testing.

(c) Before the court may render an order terminating parental rights with regard to a child taken into the department's custody under Section 262.303, the department must:

(1) verify with the National Crime Information Center and state and local law enforcement agencies that the child is not a missing child; and

(2) obtain a certificate of the search of the paternity registry under Subchapter E, Chapter 160, not earlier than the date the department estimates to be the 30th day after the child's date of birth.

Added by Acts 2001 77th Leg., ch. 809, Sec. 6, eff. Sept. 1, 2001. Renumbered from Family Code Sec. 263.405 by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1275, Sec. 2(54), eff. Sept. 1, 2003.

Amended by:

Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 620 (H.B. 2331), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2005.

Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1035 (H.B. 1747), Sec. 1, eff. June 15, 2007.

Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1283 (H.B. 3997), Sec. 12, eff. September 1, 2007.