AN ACT 1-1 relating to legislative access to information. 1-2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-3 SECTION 1. Section 552.264, Government Code, is amended to 1-4 read as follows: 1-5 Sec. 552.264. COPY OF PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUESTED BY MEMBER 1-6 OF LEGISLATURE. One copy of public information that is requested 1-7 from a state agency by a member, agency, or committee of the 1-8 legislature under Section 552.008 shall be provided without charge. 1-9 SECTION 2. Chapter 323, Government Code, is amended by 1-10 adding Section 323.019 to read as follows: 1-11 Sec. 323.019. STATISTICAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AND 1-12 STUDIES. (a) The council may gather and analyze information 1-13 relating to public education and other public services for the 1-14 purpose of conducting statistical and demographic research and 1-15 producing reports. 1-16 (b) State agencies in each branch of government shall 1-17 cooperate with the council in the gathering of information and the 1-18 production of reports under this section and shall provide 1-19 information as requested by the council to the maximum extent 1-20 permitted by state or federal law. 1-21 (c) In order to develop and evaluate legislative policy, the 1-22 council is entitled to collect data from any state agency, 1-23 including data that is confidential under state or federal law. In 1-24 addition to other uses consistent with this section, the council 2-1 may use data collected for the purpose of matching data from 2-2 various agencies. Confidential data collected by the council does 2-3 not lose its character as confidential information because of its 2-4 collection by the council, and the providing of that data to the 2-5 council does not constitute a release of the information by the 2-6 state agency. For the limited purpose of collecting and matching 2-7 data subject to 20 U.S.C. Section 1232g or other federal law 2-8 governing education records, employees of the council are 2-9 considered state school officials. 2-10 (d) The council is subject to any federal law governing the 2-11 release of or providing access to any personally identifiable 2-12 information to the same extent as the agency from which the data is 2-13 collected. The council may not release or distribute the data to 2-14 any individual member of the legislature, or to any other person, 2-15 in a form that contains personally identifiable information. 2-16 (e) In collecting personally identifiable information under 2-17 this section, the council and the state agency from which the data 2-18 is collected shall cooperate in the confidential handling of the 2-19 data, such as the encoding, decoding, and reencoding of the 2-20 information. Personally identifiable information may be used by 2-21 the council solely for the purpose of statistical and policy 2-22 analysis, including data matching, and must be destroyed 2-23 immediately when no longer needed for that analysis. 2-24 (f) Using information collected and matched under this 2-25 section, the council may produce and release statistical data that 2-26 does not include any personally identifiable information. 3-1 SECTION 3. Subsection (a), Section 276.008, Election Code, 3-2 is amended to read as follows: 3-3 (a) On the written request of the Texas Legislative Council, 3-4 the secretary of state, a county clerk or county elections 3-5 administrator, a city secretary, or a voter registrar shall provide 3-6 without charge to the council information or data maintained by the 3-7 appropriate officer relating to voter registration, voter turnout, 3-8 election returns for statewide, district, county, precinct, or city 3-9 offices, or county election precincts, including precinct maps. 3-10 SECTION 4. Subchapter A, Chapter 6, Tax Code, is amended by 3-11 adding Section 6.14 to read as follows: 3-12 Sec. 6.14. INFORMATION PROVIDED TO TEXAS LEGISLATIVE 3-13 COUNCIL. (a) On the written request of the Texas Legislative 3-14 Council, an appraisal district that maintains its appraisal records 3-15 in electronic format shall provide a copy of the information or 3-16 data maintained in the district's appraisal records to the council 3-17 without charge. 3-18 (b) The appraisal district shall provide the requested 3-19 information or data to the council as soon as practicable but not 3-20 later than the 30th day after the date the request is received by 3-21 the district. 3-22 (c) The information or data shall be provided in a form 3-23 approved by the council. 3-24 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the 3-25 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 3-26 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 4-1 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 4-2 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 4-3 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 4-4 passage, and it is so enacted. _______________________________ _______________________________ President of the Senate Speaker of the House I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1367 passed the Senate on April 8, 1999, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0; and that the Senate concurred in House amendment on May 18, 1999, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0. _______________________________ Secretary of the Senate I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1367 passed the House, with amendment, on May 6, 1999, by the following vote: Yeas 145, Nays 0, one present not voting. _______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House Approved: _______________________________ Date _______________________________ Governor