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House Bill 1972 |
House Author: Kleinschmidt |
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Effective: 9-1-13 |
Senate Sponsor: Hancock |
Previous law regarding state and local administration of emergency communications defined "9-1-1 service" as a telecommunications service that provides the user of the public telephone system the ability to reach a public safety answering point by dialing 9-1-1. House Bill 1972 amends the Health and Safety Code to update the term to mean a communications service that connects users to such a point, to make provisions regarding liability of communications service and equipment providers in providing 9-1-1 service apply also to a developer of software used in providing 9-1-1 service and to certain other persons and entities involved in providing 9‑1-1 service, and to update provisions relating to the confidentiality of information that a service provider or other entity furnishes to a governmental entity in providing 9-1-1 service. The bill requires the liability and confidentiality provisions to be interpreted to provide certain protections in the same manner as described by federal law. The bill's provisions do not expand or change the authority or jurisdiction of a public agency or the Commission on State Emergency Communications over commercial mobile service or wireline service or expand the authority of those entities to assess 9-1-1 fees.
House Bill 1972 amends the Penal Code to expand the conduct that constitutes the offense of making silent or abusive calls to a 9-1-1 service when there is no emergency to include requesting 9-1-1 services using an electronic communications device. The bill updates provisions relating to the conduct constituting the offense of interference with an emergency call to make the provisions applicable with respect to placing an emergency call and to include requesting assistance using an electronic communications device as such conduct.