BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1082

By: King, Phil

State Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been noted that, in recent years, it has become more common to see citizens confronting government officials in public, including at their homes. Current law allows only statewide elected officers and members of the legislature to elect to withhold certain personal information, such as their home address, from disclosure to the public while local officials are not afforded similar privacy protections. H.B. 1082 seeks to reduce harassment and ensure that public officers at all levels of government retain a degree of safety and privacy by extending these privacy protections to all elected public officers.

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. 1082 amends the Government Code to extend the exception from the public availability requirement of state public information law for certain personal information of a statewide elected officer or member of the legislature to any elected public officer. The bill gives all elected public officers the option to restrict public access to certain related personal information under that law.

H.B. 1082 amends the Tax Code to extend confidentiality protections of certain home address information in appraisal records for a statewide elected officer or member of the legislature to any elected public officer.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2021.