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Senate Bill 1068 |
Senate Author: Wentworth |
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Effective: 6-4-09 |
House Sponsor: Gallego |
Current law excludes from required disclosure under the open records law, or provides an affected individual the option to exclude from such disclosure, the home address, the home telephone number, the social security number, and certain information regarding family members of a peace officer, county jailer, commissioned security officer, officer or employee of a community supervision and corrections department, current or former employee of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or a predecessor entity, current or former employee or official of any other governmental body excluding the judiciary, or employee of a district attorney, criminal district attorney, county attorney, or municipal attorney whose jurisdiction includes any criminal law or child protective services matters. The law similarly excludes from public disclosure the home address or home telephone number of a member of the board of directors or board of trustees of a family violence shelter center or sexual assault program, or the home address, home telephone number, or social security number of an employee or a volunteer worker of such a center or program.
Senate Bill 1068 amends the Government Code to authorize a governmental body to redact such excluded information from any information it discloses under the open records law without requesting an open records decision from the attorney general. The bill requires a governmental body, when redacting or withholding information without seeking such a decision, to provide the requestor of information with a description of what has been redacted or withheld, a citation to the law on redacting and withholding without an open records decision, and instructions on how the requestor may seek an open records decision. The bill entitles the requestor to seek an open records decision when the governmental body has not.
Senate Bill 1068 excepts information in the custody of a governmental body that relates to an employee or officer of the governmental body from public availability under the open records law if, under specific circumstances pertaining to the employee or officer, disclosure of the information would subject the employee or officer to a substantial threat of physical harm.