§ 648A. Duties of Court Investigator
648A. Duties of Court Investigator
(a) On the filing of an application for guardianship under Section 682 of this code, a court investigator shall investigate the circumstances alleged in the application to determine whether a less restrictive alternative than guardianship is appropriate.
(b) A court investigator shall:
(1) supervise the court visitor program established under Section 648 of this code and in that capacity serve as the chief court visitor;
(2) investigate a complaint received from any person about a guardianship and report to the judge, if necessary; and
(3) perform other duties as assigned by the judge or required by this code.
(c) After making an investigation under Subsection (a) or (b) of this section, a court investigator shall file with the court a report of the court investigator's findings and conclusions. Disclosure to a jury of the contents of a court investigator's report is subject to the Texas Rules of Civil Evidence. In a contested case, the court investigator shall provide copies of the report to the attorneys for the parties before the earlier of:
(1) the seventh day after the day the report is completed; or
(2) the 10th day before the day the trial is scheduled to begin.
(d) Nothing in this section supersedes any duty or obligation of another to report or investigate abuse or neglect under any statute of this state.