79R12392 JRD-F
By: Goodman H.B. No. 1952
Substitute the following for H.B. No. 1952:
By: Zedler C.S.H.B. No. 1952
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to prohibiting a governmental body from disclosing a
person's social security number to a member of the public in certain
circumstances without the person's written consent.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 552, Government Code, is
amended by adding Section 552.147 to read as follows:
Sec. 552.147. PROHIBITION ON DISCLOSURE OF SOCIAL SECURITY
NUMBER. (a) Notwithstanding any other law, a person's social
security number may not be disclosed to a member of the public by a
governmental body in response to a request for the information made
under this chapter or another law of this state without the person's
written consent. The consent must be given on a clear and
understandable form that the attorney general shall prescribe for
that purpose. If the consent form is part of a larger document, the
consent form must be a separate page of the larger document and the
person's signature must appear on that page.
(b) Subsection (a) does not prohibit the disclosure of a
person's social security number without the person's consent:
(1) to a federal, state, or local governmental entity
for a legitimate governmental purpose;
(2) if the social security number is contained in
information that was created, assembled, or first maintained by or
for the governmental body before September 1, 2005, and the
disclosure of the social security number is not otherwise
prohibited by law;
(3) if the social security number is contained in
information that is created, assembled, or maintained by or for a
district or county clerk and the disclosure of the social security
number is not otherwise prohibited by law;
(4) to a private vendor as necessary to allow the
vendor to perform a service for the governmental body under a
contract with the governmental body;
(5) in connection with the collection of delinquent
child support payments; or
(6) if the person whose social security number is
disclosed has been convicted of a felony and the disclosure is
relevant to establishing the person's identity.
(c) A private vendor that receives a social security number
from a governmental body under Subsection (b)(4) may only disclose
the social security number as necessary to allow the vendor to
perform a service for the governmental body under the contract with
the governmental body.
SECTION 2. Section 552.024, Government Code, is amended by
adding Subsection (g) to read as follows:
(g) Subsection (d) does not authorize the release of a
person's social security number to the extent that the person's
social security number is protected from required disclosure under
Section 552.147 or other law.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2005.