Foreign Law Bills Introduced [HB 750 and SB 285]

The application of foreign law to certain disputes in Texas courts will come before the Legislature again this spring. HB 750 by Rep. Harvey Hilderbran (R-Kerrville) and SB 285 by Sen. John Carona (R-Dallas) would bar a court, arbitrator, or administrative adjudicator from applying foreign law or enforcing a choice-of-law provision in a proceeding affecting the parent-child relationship or the marriage relationship, if application of the law would violate a fundamental federal or state constitutional right or one guaranteed by Texas state law. As currently drafted, the bill excludes corporations or other legal entities that submit to foreign law in their contracts. Rep. Bill Zedler (R-Arlington) has previously filed HB 288, which broadly prohibits a Texas court from basing a ruling or decision on foreign or international law.