BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 489

By: Zaffirini

Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been noted that previous legislation to ensure the personal safety of judges by redacting certain personal information about a judge from public records did not extend to campaign report filings or to certain property-related documents filed with a county clerk. S.B. 489 seeks to build on existing measures to protect judges by requiring similar redactions from these additional types of records.

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

S.B. 489 amends the Election Code to require the Texas Ethics Commission, on receiving notice from the Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System (OCA) of a judge's qualification for office or on receipt of a written request from a federal judge, state judge or spouse of a federal or state judge, to remove or redact the residence address of a federal judge, a state judge, or the spouse of a federal or state judge from any report filed by the judge in the judge's capacity or made available on the Internet under statutory provisions relating to political reporting.

S.B. 489 amends the Government Code to require the director of security and emergency preparedness annually to submit to the legislature a report and related recommendations on court security activities throughout Texas supported by the judicial security division of OCA.

S.B. 489 amends the Property Code to include in the definition of "instrument," for purposes of statutory provisions relating to the confidentiality of personal information contained in real property records, any record recorded by a county clerk related to real property, including a mineral lease, a mechanic's lien, and the release of a mechanic's lien.

S.B. 489 amends the Tax Code to clarify the definitions of "federal judge" and "state judge" used for purposes of statutory provisions relating to the confidentiality of home address information contained in appraisal records.

S.B. 489 amends the Transportation Code to clarify the definitions of "federal judge" and "state judge" used for purposes of statutory provisions relating to the omission of residence address information on a driver's license.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.