BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1278

By: Dutton

Government Transparency & Operation

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties contend that there are inadequate protections in place regarding the availability of personal information of current or former district attorneys, criminal district attorneys, and county or municipal attorneys whose jurisdiction includes any criminal law or child protective services matters and the current or former employees of such attorneys. H.B. 1278 seeks to protect these individuals and their families from potential reprisal by providing for the confidentiality of certain personal information that relates to such attorneys and their employees.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 1278 amends the Government Code to except from the public-availability requirement of state public information law information that relates to the home address, home telephone number, emergency contact information, or social security number of a current or former district attorney, criminal district attorney, or county or municipal attorney whose jurisdiction includes any criminal law or child protective services matters or of a current or former employee of such an attorney and information that reveals whether such a person has family members, with certain exceptions. The bill applies statutory provisions relating to the confidentiality of certain government officials' personal identifying information and of information that reveals whether the person has family members to such a person.

H.B. 1278 amends the Tax Code to apply statutory provisions relating to the confidentiality of certain home address information to such an attorney.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2017.