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.