By Davis                                         H.B. No. 273

      75R2153 JD-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to excepting certain personal information about the

 1-3     identity of and personal information relating to participants in a

 1-4     neighborhood crime watch organization from required public

 1-5     disclosure under the open records law.

 1-6           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-7           SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 552, Government Code, is

 1-8     amended by adding Section 552.127 to read as follows:

 1-9           Sec. 552.127.  EXCEPTION:  PERSONAL INFORMATION RELATING TO

1-10     PARTICIPANTS IN NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME WATCH ORGANIZATION.

1-11     (a)  Information is excepted from the requirements of Section

1-12     552.021 if the information identifies a person as a participant in

1-13     a neighborhood crime watch organization and relates to the name,

1-14     home address, business address, home telephone number, or business

1-15     telephone number of the person.

1-16           (b)  In this section, "neighborhood crime watch organization"

1-17     means a group of residents of a neighborhood or part of a

1-18     neighborhood that is formed in affiliation or association with a

1-19     law enforcement agency in this state to observe activities within

1-20     the neighborhood or part of a neighborhood and to take other

1-21     actions intended to reduce crime in that area.

1-22           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-23     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-24     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-1     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-2     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

 2-3     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

 2-4     passage, and it is so enacted.