By: Landgraf (Senate Sponsor - Zaffirini) H.B. No. 3698
         (In the Senate - Received from the House April 24, 2023;
  May 4, 2023, read first time and referred to Committee on
  Jurisprudence; May 10, 2023, reported favorably by the following
  vote:  Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 10, 2023, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
 
  relating to expanding access to the protective order registry and
  the inclusion of certain information regarding a person who is the
  subject of a protective order in that registry.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 72.154(a), Government Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (a)  Subject to Subsections (c) and (d) and Section 72.158,
  the office shall establish and maintain the registry in a manner
  that allows a member of the public, free of charge, to
  electronically search for and receive publicly accessible
  information contained in the registry regarding each protective
  order issued in this state.  The registry must be searchable by:
               (1)  the county of issuance;
               (2)  the name of a person who is the subject of the
  protective order; [and]
               (3)  any known common misspellings of the name of a
  person who is the subject of the protective order; 
               (4)  any known aliases of a person who is the subject of
  the protective order; and
               (5)  the birth year of a person who is the subject of
  the protective order.
         SECTION 2.  Section 72.155, Government Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 72.155.  RESTRICTED ACCESS TO PROTECTIVE ORDER
  REGISTRY.  (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 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, a magistrate, or a peace officer may access
  that information under the registry.
         (b)  The office shall ensure that an authorized user, the
  attorney general, a district attorney, a criminal district
  attorney, a county attorney, a municipal attorney, a magistrate, or
  a peace officer is able to search for and receive a copy of a filed
  application for a protective order or a copy of an issued protective
  order through the registry's Internet website.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.
 
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