By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 558
 
 
 
   
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the confidentiality of eviction case information.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Chapter 24, Property Code, is amended by adding
  Section 24.012 to read as follows:
         Sec. 24.012.  CONFIDENTIAL RECORDS RELATED TO EVICTION CASE
  INFORMATION. (a) In this section:
               (1)  "Eviction case" means a lawsuit brought under this
  chapter to recover possession of leased or rented real property
  from a tenant, including a tenant at will or a tenant at sufferance.
               (2)  "Eviction case information" means all records and
  files related to a filing of an eviction case, including petitions
  and their dispositions.
               (3)  "Landlord" means the owner of a dwelling or the
  management company, on-premises manager, or rent collector for a
  dwelling.
         (b)  Concurrently with a judgment or order of dismissal in an
  eviction case, a court shall enter an order making confidential the
  eviction case information pertaining to a defendant if:
               (1)  a judgment is entered in favor of the defendant;
               (2)  the case is dismissed without any relief granted
  to the plaintiff; or
               (3)  the defendant is a residential tenant not
  otherwise in default and the eviction case is brought by the
  successor in interest following foreclosure.
         (c)  On petition of a defendant in an eviction case after a
  judgment or order of dismissal has been entered, a court shall enter
  an order making confidential the eviction case information
  pertaining to a defendant if:
               (1)  at least five years have elapsed from the date of
  the final judgment in the eviction case;
               (2)  the defendant was a residential tenant not
  otherwise in default and the eviction case was brought by the
  successor in interest following foreclosure; or
               (3)  a confidentiality order was not issued and:
                     (A)  a judgment was entered in favor of the
  defendant; or
                     (B)  the case was dismissed.
         (d)  Concurrently with a judgment or order of dismissal in an
  eviction case or on petition of a defendant in an eviction case
  after a judgment or dismissal in the case, a court may enter an
  order making confidential the eviction case information pertaining
  to the defendant if the court finds that:
               (1)  it is in the interest of justice; and
               (2)  the interest of justice is not outweighed by the
  public's interest in knowing the eviction case information.
         (e)  If an order is entered making eviction case information
  confidential under this section:
               (1)  a court or clerk may not intentionally disclose
  the eviction case information, except:
                     (A)  to any judge or court staff;
                     (B)  to the parties to the suit or the parties'
  counsel; or
                     (C)  in a form that omits any personal identifying
  information of the parties, to any other person, agency, or
  institution approved by the court with a legitimate interest in the
  work of the court; and
               (2)  except to the extent permitted by federal law, a
  credit reporting agency, a person, other than a landlord, who
  regularly collects and disseminates eviction case information, or a
  person who sells eviction case information may not:
                     (A)  disclose the existence of the eviction case;
  or
                     (B)  use the eviction case information as a factor
  in determining a score or recommendation in a tenant screening
  report regarding the defendant.
         (f)  A person who knowingly violates Subsection (e) is liable
  to an injured party for:
               (1)  actual damages, or if unable to prove actual
  damages, a penalty of no more than $1,000; and
               (2)  reasonable attorney's fees, not to exceed $10,000,
  and court costs.
         (g)  Notwithstanding Section 41.004(a), Civil Practice and
  Remedies Code, a court shall award exemplary damages under
  Subsection (f)(2) to the injured party irrespective of whether the
  party is awarded actual damages.
         (h)  This section does not prohibit a party to an eviction
  case from abstracting the judgment in the case.
         (i)  The supreme court shall adopt rules necessary to
  implement this section.
         SECTION 2.  Not later than January 1, 2022, the Texas Supreme
  Court shall adopt the rules necessary to implement Section 24.012,
  Property Code, as added by this Act.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect January 1, 2022.