1. (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. (1) using or threatening to use violence or other criminal means to cause harm to an obligor or property of the obligor;
   2. (2) accusing falsely or threatening to accuse falsely an obligor of a violation of state or federal child support laws;
   3. (3) taking or threatening to take an enforcement action against an obligor that is not authorized by law; or
   4. (4) intentionally representing to a person that the agency is a governmental agency authorized to enforce a child support obligation.

2. (b) Subsection (a) does not prevent a private child support enforcement agency from:

   1. (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. (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.

Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 20 (S.B. 614), Sec. 35, eff. September 1, 2019.