By: Castro H.B. No. 3958
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to a central database containing information about certain
offenders who have committed offenses involving family or dating
violence.
       BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
       SECTION 1.  Section 411.088(b), Government Code, is amended
to read as follows:
       (b)  The department may not charge for processing an
electronic inquiry, made through the use of the Internet, for
information described as public information under:
             (1)  Section 411.1355; or
             (2)  Article 62.005, Code of Criminal Procedure[, made
through the use of the Internet].
       SECTION 2.  Section 411.135(a), Government Code, is amended
to read as follows:
       (a)  Any person is entitled to obtain from the department:
             (1)  any information described as public information
under Chapter 62, Code of Criminal Procedure, [as added by Chapter
668, Acts of the 75th Legislature, Regular Session, 1997,]
including, to the extent available, a recent photograph of each
person subject to registration under that chapter; [and]
             (2)  criminal history record information maintained by
the department that relates to the conviction of or a grant of
deferred adjudication to a person for any criminal offense,
including arrest information that relates to the conviction or
grant of deferred adjudication; and
             (3)  any information described as public information
under Section 411.1355.
       SECTION 3.  Subchapter F, Chapter 411, Government Code, is
amended by adding Section 411.1355 to read as follows:
       Sec. 411.1355.  CENTRAL DATABASE OF OFFENDERS WHO HAVE
COMMITTED OFFENSES INVOLVING FAMILY VIOLENCE.  (a)  The department
shall maintain a computerized central database containing
information regarding persons who on three or more occasions have
been convicted of or received a grant of deferred adjudication for
an offense for which an affirmative finding of family violence was
made under Article 42.013, Code of Criminal Procedure.
       (b)  The information contained in the database is public
information, with the exception of any information:
             (1)  regarding the person's social security number,
driver's license number, or telephone number; or
             (2)  that would identify the victim of the offense with
respect to which the affirmative finding was made.
       (c)  The database maintained by the department under this
section must contain, to the extent the information is available to
the department:
             (1)  the person's full name, each alias used by the
person, and the person's date of birth;
             (2)  the person's last known address;
             (3)  a physical description and recent photograph of
the person;
             (4)  a list of offenses for which the person was
convicted and the court made an affirmative finding of family
violence, the date of conviction for each offense, and the
punishment prescribed for each offense; and
             (5)  an indication as to whether the person was
discharged, placed on juvenile probation or community supervision,
or released on parole or to mandatory supervision following the
conviction for each offense.
       SECTION 4.  The central database required by Section
411.1355, Government Code, as added by this Act, must be designed
and implemented not later than January 1, 2008.
       SECTION 5.  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, 2007.