S.B. No. 1540

AN ACT

relating to maintaining the confidentiality of the personal information of election officials and their employees.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 1.005(4-a), Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

(4-a) "Election official" means:

(A) a county clerk;

(B) a permanent or temporary deputy county clerk;

(C) an elections administrator;

(D) a permanent or temporary employee of an elections administrator;

(E) an election judge;

(F) an alternate election judge;

(G) an early voting clerk;

(H) a deputy early voting clerk;

(I) an election clerk;

(J) the presiding judge of an early voting ballot board;

(K) the alternate presiding judge of an early voting ballot board;

(L) a member of an early voting ballot board;

(M) the chair of a signature verification committee;

(N) the vice chair of a signature verification committee;

(O) a member of a signature verification committee;

(P) the presiding judge of a central counting station;

(Q) the alternate presiding judge of a central counting station;

(R) a central counting station manager;

(S) a central counting station clerk;

(T) a tabulation supervisor;

(U) an assistant to a tabulation supervisor; [and]

(V) a chair of a county political party holding a primary election or a runoff primary election; and

(W) the chair of a state executive committee of a political party that nominates by primary election under Subtitle B, Title 10.

SECTION 2. Section 552.1175(a), Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a) This section applies only to:

(1) current or honorably retired peace officers as defined by Article 2A.001, Code of Criminal Procedure, or special investigators as described by Article 2A.002, Code of Criminal Procedure;

(2) current or honorably retired county jailers as defined by Section 1701.001, Occupations Code;

(3) current or former employees of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or of the predecessor in function of the department or any division of the department;

(4) commissioned security officers as defined by Section 1702.002, Occupations Code;

(5) a current or former district attorney, criminal district attorney, or county or municipal attorney whose jurisdiction includes any criminal law or child protective services matters;

(5-a) a current or former employee of a district attorney, criminal district attorney, or county or municipal attorney whose jurisdiction includes any criminal law or child protective services matters;

(6) officers and employees of a community supervision and corrections department established under Chapter 76 who perform a duty described by Section 76.004(b);

(7) criminal investigators of the United States as described by Article 2A.002(a), Code of Criminal Procedure;

(8) current or honorably retired police officers and inspectors of the United States Federal Protective Service;

(9) current and former employees of the office of the attorney general who are or were assigned to a division of that office the duties of which involve law enforcement or are performed under Chapter 231, Family Code;

(10) current or former juvenile probation and detention officers certified by the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, or the predecessors in function of the department, under Title 12, Human Resources Code;

(11) current or former employees of a juvenile justice program or facility, as those terms are defined by Section 261.405, Family Code;

(12) current or former employees of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department or the predecessors in function of the department;

(13) federal judges and state judges as defined by Section 1.005, Election Code;

(14) current or former employees of the Texas Civil Commitment Office or of the predecessor in function of the office or a division of the office;

(15) a current or former member of the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, or Marine Corps, an auxiliary service of one of those branches of the armed forces, or the Texas military forces, as that term is defined by Section 437.001;

(16) a current or former child protective services caseworker, adult protective services caseworker, or investigator for the Department of Family and Protective Services or a current or former employee of a department contractor performing child protective services caseworker, adult protective services caseworker, or investigator functions for the contractor on behalf of the department;

(17) an elected public officer;

(18) a firefighter or volunteer firefighter or emergency medical services personnel as defined by Section 773.003, Health and Safety Code; [and]

(19) a current or former United States attorney, assistant United States attorney, federal public defender, deputy federal public defender, or assistant federal public defender; or

(20) a current or former election official, as defined by Section 1.005, Election Code, or employee, volunteer, or designee of an election official, or an employee of the secretary of state's office who performs duties relating to elections.

SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to a request for information that is received by a governmental body or an officer on or after the effective date of this Act. A request for information that was received before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the request was received, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.

______________________________ ______________________________

President of the Senate Speaker of the House

I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1540 passed the Senate on May 1, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0; May 29, 2025, Senate refused to concur in House amendments and requested appointment of Conference Committee; May 31, 2025, House granted request of the Senate; May 31, 2025, Senate adopted Conference Committee Report by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

______________________________ Secretary of the Senate

I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1540 passed the House, with amendments, on May 28, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 134, Nays 1, three present not voting; May 31, 2025, House granted request of the Senate for appointment of Conference Committee; June 1, 2025, House adopted Conference Committee Report by the following vote: Yeas 128, Nays 9, two present not voting.

______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House

Approved:

______________________________

Date

______________________________

Governor