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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to landlord and tenant dispute information reported by |
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justice courts to the Office of Court Administration of the Texas |
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Judicial System and made accessible to the public. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 71, Government Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 71.0354 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 71.0354. LANDLORD AND TENANT DISPUTE INFORMATION: |
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JUSTICE COURTS. As a component of the official monthly report |
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submitted to the Office of Court Administration of the Texas |
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Judicial System, a justice court shall report by category each case |
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filed in the court involving a dispute between a landlord and tenant |
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under Chapter 24, Property Code, or Title 8, Property Code, |
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including: |
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(1) forcible entry and detainer suits; |
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(2) suits involving the disconnection of utilities; |
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(3) repair and remedy suits; |
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(4) suits involving security deposits; |
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(5) suits involving the provision of security and |
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safety devices; and |
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(6) any other category of suit involving a landlord or |
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tenant brought under Title 8, Property Code, and designated by the |
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office. |
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SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 72, Government Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 72.038 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 72.038. LANDLORD AND TENANT DISPUTE DATABASE. (a) The |
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office shall establish and maintain an electronic database that |
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contains information on cases filed in justice courts related to |
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landlord and tenant disputes. The database must contain for each |
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case: |
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(1) the justice court in which the case is filed, |
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including the precinct, municipality, and county in which the court |
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is located; |
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(2) if publicly available: |
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(A) the street name, municipality, and zip code |
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of the defendant's residence; |
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(B) the street name, municipality, and zip code |
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of the plaintiff's residence; |
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(C) the tenant's address, excluding the |
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apartment number for a tenant who lives in a multifamily apartment |
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complex; and |
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(D) the defendant's demographic information, |
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including race and ethnicity; |
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(3) any legal counsel representing the defendant; |
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(4) the date of the hearing; |
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(5) the disposition of the case; |
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(6) the date judgment is issued; and |
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(7) the judgment amount. |
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(b) The office shall make the information required by |
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Subsection (a) available in an electronic spreadsheet format that |
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is easily downloaded from the office's publicly accessible Internet |
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website and is searchable by date and jurisdiction. |
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SECTION 3. (a) As soon as practicable after the effective |
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date of this Act, the Office of Court Administration of the Texas |
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Judicial System shall: |
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(1) prescribe the categories of landlord and tenant |
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suits a justice court is required to report under Section 71.0354, |
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Government Code, as added by this Act, and the procedures for |
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reporting under that section; and |
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(2) establish the landlord and tenant dispute database |
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as required by Section 72.038, Government Code, as added by this |
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Act. |
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(b) Notwithstanding Section 71.0354, Government Code, as |
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added by this Act, a justice court is not required to report |
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landlord and tenant dispute information under that section until |
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after the Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial |
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System establishes the categories and procedures for reporting |
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under that section. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |