1-1 By: Davis (Senate Sponsor - Cain) H.B. No. 273 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House May 5, 1997; 1-3 May 6, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on State 1-4 Affairs; May 18, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote: 1-5 Yeas 12, Nays 0; May 18, 1997, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to excepting certain personal information about the 1-9 identity of and personal information relating to participants in a 1-10 neighborhood crime watch organization from required public 1-11 disclosure under the open records law. 1-12 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-13 SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 552, Government Code, is 1-14 amended by adding Section 552.127 to read as follows: 1-15 Sec. 552.127. EXCEPTION: PERSONAL INFORMATION RELATING TO 1-16 PARTICIPANTS IN NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME WATCH ORGANIZATION. 1-17 (a) Information is excepted from the requirements of Section 1-18 552.021 if the information identifies a person as a participant in 1-19 a neighborhood crime watch organization and relates to the name, 1-20 home address, business address, home telephone number, or business 1-21 telephone number of the person. 1-22 (b) In this section, "neighborhood crime watch organization" 1-23 means a group of residents of a neighborhood or part of a 1-24 neighborhood that is formed in affiliation or association with a 1-25 law enforcement agency in this state to observe activities within 1-26 the neighborhood or part of a neighborhood and to take other 1-27 actions intended to reduce crime in that area. 1-28 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the 1-29 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-30 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-31 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-32 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 1-33 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 1-34 passage, and it is so enacted. 1-35 * * * * *