87R7733 MEW-F
 
  By: Landgraf H.B. No. 2703
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the removal of a vacated protective order from the
  protective order registry maintained by the Office of Court
  Administration of the Texas Judicial System.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 72.154(b), Government Code, is 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.
         SECTION 2.  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. 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 3.  Section 72.157, Government Code, is amended by
  amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (b-1) to read as
  follows:
         (b)  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.
         (b-1)  For a protective order that is vacated, the clerk of
  the applicable court shall remove the record of the order from the
  registry. 
         SECTION 4.  As soon as practicable after the effective date
  of this Act, the Office of Court Administration of the Texas
  Judicial System shall remove the record of any protective orders
  that have been vacated from the protective order registry
  established under Subchapter F, Chapter 72, Government Code, as
  amended by this Act.
         SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.