By Miller H.B. No. 2680
77R5916 JRD-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to prohibiting a governmental body from disclosing social
1-3 security numbers to a member of the public.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 552, Government Code, is
1-6 amended by adding Section 552.137 to read as follows:
1-7 Sec. 552.137. PROHIBITION ON DISCLOSURE OF SOCIAL SECURITY
1-8 NUMBER. (a) Notwithstanding any other law, a person's social
1-9 security number may not be disclosed to a member of the public by a
1-10 governmental body in response to a request for the information made
1-11 under this chapter or another law of this state.
1-12 (b) Subsection (a) does not prohibit the disclosure of a
1-13 person's social security number to a federal, state, or local
1-14 governmental entity for a legitimate governmental purpose.
1-15 SECTION 2. Section 552.024(a), Government Code, is amended to
1-16 read as follows:
1-17 (a) Each employee or official of a governmental body and
1-18 each former employee or official of a governmental body shall
1-19 choose whether to allow public access to the information in the
1-20 custody of the governmental body that relates to the person's home
1-21 address or[,] home telephone number[, or social security number,]
1-22 or that reveals whether the person has family members.
1-23 SECTION 3. Section 552.117, Government Code, is amended to
1-24 read as follows:
2-1 Sec. 552.117. EXCEPTION: CERTAIN ADDRESSES, TELEPHONE
2-2 NUMBERS, [SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS,] AND PERSONAL FAMILY
2-3 INFORMATION. Information is excepted from the requirements of
2-4 Section 552.021 if it is information that relates to the home
2-5 address or[,] home telephone number[, or social security number,]
2-6 or that reveals whether the following person has family members:
2-7 (1) a current or former official or employee of a
2-8 governmental body, except as otherwise provided by Section 552.024;
2-9 (2) a peace officer as defined by Article 2.12, Code
2-10 of Criminal Procedure, or a security officer commissioned under
2-11 Section 51.212, Education Code, regardless of whether the officer
2-12 complies with Section 552.024;
2-13 (3) an employee of the Texas Department of Criminal
2-14 Justice, regardless of whether the employee complies with Section
2-15 552.024; or
2-16 (4) a peace officer as defined by Article 2.12, Code
2-17 of Criminal Procedure, or other law, a reserve law enforcement
2-18 officer, a commissioned deputy game warden, or a corrections
2-19 officer in a municipal, county, or state penal institution in this
2-20 state who was killed in the line of duty, regardless of whether the
2-21 deceased complied with Section 552.024.
2-22 SECTION 4. Section 552.132(b), Government Code, is amended to
2-23 read as follows:
2-24 (b) A crime victim may elect whether to allow public access
2-25 to information held by the crime victim's compensation division of
2-26 the attorney general's office that relates to:
2-27 (1) the name, [social security number,] address, or
3-1 telephone number of the crime victim; or
3-2 (2) any other information the disclosure of which
3-3 would identify or tend to identify the crime victim.
3-4 SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
3-5 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
3-6 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
3-7 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
3-8 Act takes effect September 1, 2001.