HBA-ALS H.B. 1578 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1578
By: Uresti
State Affairs
4/27/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Under current law, a governmental employee or official chooses whether to
allow public access to information relating to the person's home address,
telephone, social security number, and family members.  H.B. 1578 allows a
governmental employee or official to choose whether to allow public access
to the person's home or work e-mail address. 
 
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 552.024(a), Government Code, as follows: 

(a)  Requires each employee or official of a governmental body and each
former employee or official of a governmental body to choose whether to
allow public access to the information in the custody of the governmental
body that relates to the person's home electronic mail address, in addition
to other personal information. 

SECTION 2.  Amends Section 552.117, Government Code, as follows: 

Sec. 552.117. EXCEPTION: CERTAIN ADDRESSES, TELEPHONE NUMBERS, SOCIAL
SECURITY NUMBERS, AND PERSONAL FAMILY INFORMATION.   Excepts from the
requirements of Section 552.021, Government Code (Availability of Public
Information) information relating to the work or home electronic mail
address of: 

(1) a current or former official or employee of a governmental body, except
as otherwise provided by Section 552.024, Government Code (Electing to
Disclose Address and Telephone Number);  

(2) a peace officer as defined by Article 2.12, Code of Criminal Procedure
(Who are peace officers), or a security officer commissioned under Section
51.212, Education Code (Security Officers at Private Institutions),
regardless of whether the officer complies with Section 552.024, Government
Code (Electing to Disclose Address and Telephone Number); or 

(3) an employee of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, regardless of
whether the employee complies with Section 552.024. 

  
SECTION 3.  Effective date: September 1, 1999. 
  Makes application of this Act prospective.

SECTION 4. Emergency clause.