S.B. 174 78(R) BILL ANALYSIS S.B. 174 By: Nelson State Affairs Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current Texas law makes marriage license applications open to public inspection, including such personal information as an applicant's name, social security number, and address. The availability of information related to applicants' social security numbers put applicants at risk for certain crimes, such as identity theft. The purpose of Senate Bill 174 is to make information related to an applicant's social security number confidential and prohibit the county clerk from disclosing such information, and to require the county clerk to redact such information from an application upon receiving a request to make information in a marriage license application available under Chapter 552, Government Code. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, institution, or agency. ANALYSIS Senate Bill 174 amends Subchapter C, Chapter 552, Government Code, by adding Section 552.141 to make confidential information that relates to the social security number of an individual on a marriage license application, or a document submitted with the application, that is maintained by the county clerk. The bill requires the county clerk, upon receiving a request to make information in a marriage license application available under Chapter 552, Government Code, to redact the portion of the application that contains an individual's social security number and release the remainder of the information in the application. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2003. The Act applies only to an application for a marriage license that is filed on or after September 1, 2003.