LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 80TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

February 28, 2007

TO:	Honorable Rick Hardcastle, Chair, House Committee on Energy Resources
FROM:	John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB2061 by Keffer, Jim (Relating to the disclosure of the social security number of a living person by a governmental body, including by a district or county clerk. ), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would amend Chapter 552, Government Code, to specify that while the social security number of a living person is excepted from the requirement of being made available during normal business hours, the information is not confidential. A county or district clerk would be authorized to disclose in the ordinary course of business a social security number that is contained in information held by the office. The clerks would be required to establish a procedure that would allow a living person to submit a written request to have the clerks redact the person's social security number from documents held in a clerk's office whether written documents or documents available on an Internet website.

The bill would take effect immediately if it receives the required two-thirds vote in each house; otherwise, it would take effect on the 91st day after the last day of the legislative session.

Local Government Impact

While a district or county clerk's office would incur costs associated with establishing a procedure for living persons to request their social security number to be redacted and would also incur costs for redacting the information, those costs would be less than the cost under current statute of reviewing every document and record held in the clerk's office and redacting all social security numbers. The resultant savings is expected to be significant and would vary by county, depending on the number of records held.

Source Agencies:

LBB Staff:

JOB, WK, DB