SRC-MSY, AMY C.S.S.B. 174 78(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research CenterC.S.S.B. 174
78R8706 PAM-DBy: Nelson
State Affairs
4/2/2003
Committee Report (Substituted)


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Current Texas law makes marriage license applications open records freely
available to the public, including such personal information as an
applicant's name, Social Security number, and address.  C.S.S.B. 174 makes
information related to an applicant's social security number confidential,
and prohibits the county clerk from disclosing such information.  In
addition, C.S.S.B. 174 requires 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

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to
a state officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Chapter 552C, Government Code, by adding Section
552.141, as follows: 

Sec. 552.141.  CONFIDENTIALITY OF INFORMATION IN APPLICATION FOR MARRIAGE
LICENSE.  (a) Establishes as confidential the information that relates to
the social security number of an individual on a marriage license
application and maintained by the county clerk, including information in
an application of behalf of an absent applicant.  Prohibits the county
clerk from disclosing such information to the public under this chapter. 

(b)  Requires the county clerk, upon receiving a request to make
information in a marriage license application available under this
chapter, 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. 

SECTION 2.  Makes application of this Act prospective.

SECTION 3.  Effective date: September 1,2003

SUMMARY OF COMMITTEE CHANGES

SECTION 1:  Differs from the original by adding text specifying that
information established as confidential is information relating to the
social security number of an applicant.  Deletes proposed Subdivisions (1)
and (2) from proposed Section 552.141(a), Government Code. Proposes a
different Section 552.141(b) than did the original, and deletes proposed
Section 552.141(c) from the original, which required the State Board of
Health to prescribe a form, by rule.