By Allen                                               H.B. No. 354
         77R2551 ATP-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to public access to information about fugitives from
 1-3     justice.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1. Sections 411.135(a) and (b), Government Code, are
 1-6     amended to read as follows:
 1-7           (a)  Any person is entitled to obtain from the department:
 1-8                 (1)  any information described as public information
 1-9     under Chapter 62, Code of Criminal Procedure, [as added by Chapter
1-10     668, Acts of the 75th Legislature, Regular Session, 1997,]
1-11     including, to the extent available, a recent photograph of each
1-12     person subject to registration under that chapter;  [and]
1-13                 (2)  criminal history record information maintained by
1-14     the department that relates to the conviction of or a grant of
1-15     deferred adjudication to a person for any criminal offense,
1-16     including arrest information that relates to the conviction or
1-17     grant of deferred adjudication; and
1-18                 (3)  information maintained by the department relating
1-19     to each fugitive from justice for whom an arrest warrant for a
1-20     felony has been issued, other than information the department
1-21     determines would hinder the apprehension or prosecution of the
1-22     fugitive.
1-23           (b)  The department by rule shall design and implement a
1-24     system to respond to electronic inquiries and other inquiries for
 2-1     information described by Subsection (a).  The department shall make
 2-2     the information  relating to fugitives from justice available to
 2-3     the public without cost in an online computer database format.
 2-4           SECTION 2. The Department of Public Safety shall make
 2-5     available information relating to fugitives from justice, as
 2-6     required by Section 411.135(a), Government Code, as amended by this
 2-7     Act, not later than January 1, 2002.
 2-8           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
 2-9     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
2-10     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
2-11     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
2-12     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.