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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the disclosure of certain harvest report information |
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submitted to the Parks and Wildlife Department. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 11, Parks and Wildlife |
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Code, is amended by adding Section 11.0305 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 11.0305. DISCLOSURE OF HARVEST REPORT INFORMATION. |
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(a) Information from a report submitted to the department relating |
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to the recreational harvest authorized by Chapter 42, 46, 50, or 71 |
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of game animals, game birds, fur-bearing animals, nongame animals, |
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alligators, or fish or other aquatic life, including the specific |
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location of harvested wildlife, may not be disclosed except as |
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authorized by this section or Section 12.014. |
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(b) Chapter 552, Government Code, does not apply to |
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information from a report described by Subsection (a). |
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(c) The commission or the department may disclose |
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information from a report described by Subsection (a) to a federal |
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or state law enforcement agency if the agency provides a lawfully |
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issued subpoena. |
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(d) The department may disclose statistical data and |
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compilations of information from a report described by Subsection |
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(a) in a manner that does not identify: |
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(1) any person who: |
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(A) submitted the report; or |
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(B) harvested wildlife as described in the |
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report; or |
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(2) any specific location information, including a |
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photograph, that could be used to identify the location where the |
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harvest of wildlife described in the report occurred. |
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(e) The department may disclose information from a report |
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described by Subsection (a) only to: |
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(1) an individual identified in the report or that |
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individual's representative; |
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(2) another governmental body, including a law |
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enforcement entity, as needed to carry out a governmental purpose; |
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or |
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(3) an entity contracted with the department that has |
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signed a nondisclosure agreement prohibiting the entity from |
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disclosing information from the report, if necessary for research, |
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analysis, or another activity the department determines to be |
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appropriate. |
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(f) This section does not authorize the department to |
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disclose information the department is prohibited from disclosing |
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by other law. |
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(g) The department and its officers and employees are immune |
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from civil liability for an unintentional violation of this |
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section. |
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(h) In this section, a reference to the department includes |
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a reference to an agent of the department. |
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SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies to a |
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disclosure by the Parks and Wildlife Department of information in a |
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report described by Section 11.0305(a), Parks and Wildlife Code, as |
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added by this Act, that is made on or after the effective date of |
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this Act, regardless of when the report containing the information |
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was submitted to the department. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |