HBA-KDB, CBW H.B. 137 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 137 By: Danburg State Affairs 2/23/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, all information gathered by a governmental body must be made available to the public upon request unless otherwise excepted. Records of family violence shelters and sexual assault programs are currently not an exception to the public information act, and are available upon the request of an individual. Without this exception, it is possible for the abusers to get information about the clients, employees, volunteers, donors, and board members of these centers and programs. House Bill 137 modifies the open records law by exempting records of current and former clients, employees, volunteers, board members, and donors of a family violence center and sexual assault programs. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 137 amends the Government Code to except family violence shelter centers (center) and sexual assault programs (program) from disclosing certain public information. The bill excepts information pertaining to the home address, home telephone number, or social security number of an employee or a volunteer worker of a center or a program; the location or physical layout of a center; personal information of a current or former client of a center or program; the provision of services to a current or former client of a center or program; personal information of a private donor to a center or program; or personal information of members of the board of directors or the board of trustees of a center or program. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001.