Threats Or Coercion

Sec. 396.251. THREATS OR COERCION. (a) In enforcing a child support obligation, a private child support enforcement agency may not use threats, coercion, or attempts to coerce that employ any of the following practices: (1) using or threatening to use violence or other criminal means to cause harm to an obligor or property of the obligor; (2) accusing falsely or threatening to accuse falsely an obligor of a violation of state or federal child support laws; (3) taking or threatening to take an enforcement action against an obligor that is not authorized by law; or (4) intentionally representing to a person that the agency is a governmental agency authorized to enforce a child support obligation. (b) Subsection (a) does not prevent a private child support enforcement agency from: (1) informing an obligor that the obligor may be subject to penalties prescribed by law for failure to pay a child support obligation; or (2) taking, or threatening to take, an action authorized by law for the enforcement of a child support obligation by the agency. Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1023, Sec. 73, eff. Sept. 1, 2001. Amended by: Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 20 (S.B. 614), Sec. 35, eff. September 1, 2019.