|
Senate Bill 74 |
Senate Author: Lucio et al. |
|
Effective: 06-15-07 |
House Sponsor: Guillen et al. |
Senate Bill 74 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to require the office of the attorney general (OAG) to create and maintain an address confidentiality program to assist a victim of family violence, sexual assault, or stalking in maintaining a confidential address. The bill directs the OAG to designate a substitute post office box address for a participant, act as the agent to receive and process the participant's mail, and forward such mail to the participant. The bill sets out requirements for program eligibility and for acceptance of the substitute address by governmental agencies and allows the OAG to use the compensation to victims of crime auxiliary fund to cover the costs incurred in administering the address confidentiality program. The bill provides immunity from prosecution for acts or omissions by an agent or employee of the attorney general in administering the program if acting in good faith and provides for prosecution of those who do not act in good faith in disclosing the confidential information. The OAG is required to establish the address confidentiality program and adopt rules to administer the program by June 1, 2008.
Senate Bill 74 requires the OAG to develop and distribute to all state law enforcement agencies, by October 1, 2007, a pseudonym form to record the name, address, telephone number, and pseudonym of a victim of family violence and further requires that the public files and records related to that victim will remain confidential except under certain circumstances. The bill creates a Class C misdemeanor offense for disclosure of the name, address, or telephone number of a victim of family violence who has chosen a pseudonym by a public servant under certain circumstances.
Senate Bill 74 also amends the Election Code to provide a mechanism for a participant of the address confidentiality program to register to vote and to participate in early voting.