87R17561 MEW-D
 
  By: Landgraf H.B. No. 2702
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the protective order registry maintained by the Office
  of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System and the
  removal of certain vacated protective orders from the registry.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 72.151(3), Government Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
               (3)  "Protective order" means:
                     (A)  an order issued by a court in this state under
  Chapter 83 or 85, Family Code, to prevent family violence, as
  defined by Section 71.004, Family Code;
                     (B)  an order issued by a court in this state under
  Subchapter A, Chapter 7B, Code of Criminal Procedure, to prevent
  sexual assault or abuse, stalking, trafficking, or other harm to
  the applicant; or
                     (C)  [.  The term includes] a magistrate's order
  for emergency protection issued under Article 17.292, Code of
  Criminal Procedure, with respect to a person who is arrested for an
  offense involving family violence.
         SECTION 2.  Section 72.152, Government Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 72.152.  APPLICABILITY. This subchapter applies only
  to:
               (1)  an application for a protective order filed under:
                     (A)  Chapter 82, Family Code;
                     (B)  Subchapter A, Chapter 7B, Code of Criminal
  Procedure; or
                     (C) [(B)]  Article 17.292, Code of Criminal
  Procedure, with respect to a person who is arrested for an offense
  involving family violence; and
               (2)  a protective order issued under:
                     (A)  Chapter 83 or 85, Family Code;
                     (B)  Subchapter A, Chapter 7B, Code of Criminal
  Procedure; or
                     (C) [(B)]  Article 17.292, Code of Criminal
  Procedure, with respect to a person who is arrested for an offense
  involving family violence.
         SECTION 3.  Sections 72.154(b) and (d), Government Code, are
  amended to read as follows:
         (b)  Publicly accessible information regarding each
  protective order must consist of the following:
               (1)  the court that issued the protective order;
               (2)  the case number;
               (3)  the full name, county of residence, birth year,
  and race or ethnicity of the person who is the subject of the
  protective order;
               (4)  the dates the protective order was issued and
  served; and
               (5)  [the date the protective order was vacated, if
  applicable; and
               [(6)]  the date the protective order expired or will
  expire, as applicable.
         (d)  The office may not allow a member of the public to access
  through the registry any information related to:
               (1)  a protective order issued under Article 7B.002 or
  17.292, Code of Criminal Procedure, or Chapter 83, Family Code; or
               (2)  a protective order that was vacated.
         SECTION 4.  Section 72.155(a), Government Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (a)  The registry must include a copy of each application for
  a protective order filed in this state and a copy of each protective
  order issued in this state, including an [a vacated or] expired
  order, or a vacated order other than an order that was vacated as
  the result of an appeal or bill of review from a district or county
  court.  Only an authorized user, the attorney general, a district
  attorney, a criminal district attorney, a county attorney, a
  municipal attorney, or a peace officer may access that information
  under the registry.
         SECTION 5.  Section 72.157, Government Code, is amended by
  amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (b-1) to read as
  follows:
         (b)  Except as provided by Subsection (b-1), for [For] a
  protective order that is vacated or that has expired, the clerk of
  the applicable court shall modify the record of the order in the
  registry to reflect the order's status as vacated or expired.  The
  clerk shall ensure that a record of a vacated order is not
  accessible by the public.
         (b-1)  For a protective order that is vacated as the result
  of an appeal or bill of review from a district or county court, the
  clerk of the applicable court shall notify the office not later than
  the end of the next business day after the date the protective order
  was vacated.  The office shall remove the record of the order from
  the registry not later than the third business day after the date
  the notice from the clerk was received.
         SECTION 6.  Section 72.158(a), Government Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (a)  The office shall ensure that the public may access
  information about protective orders, other than information about
  vacated orders or orders under Article 7B.002 or 17.292, Code of
  Criminal Procedure, or Chapter 83, Family Code, through the
  registry, only if:
               (1)  a protected person requests that the office grant
  the public the ability to access the information described by
  Section 72.154(b) for the order protecting the person; and
               (2)  the office approves the request.
         SECTION 7.  Section 72.152, Government Code, as amended by
  this Act, applies only to an application for a protective order
  filed or a protective order issued on or after the effective date of
  this Act.
         SECTION 8.  As soon as practicable after the effective date
  of this Act, the Office of Court Administration of the Texas
  Judicial System shall:
               (1)  remove the record of any protective orders that
  have been vacated as the result of an appeal or bill of review from a
  district or county court from the protective order registry
  established under Subchapter F, Chapter 72, Government Code, as
  amended by this Act; and
               (2)  ensure that the records of vacated orders, other
  than orders described by Subdivision (1) of this section that are
  removed from the registry, are not accessible by the public.
         SECTION 9.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.