HBA-SEP H.B. 673 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 673 By: Miller State Affairs 3/1/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current law does not prohibit the Department of Public Safety (DPS) from selling to the public, information such as a person's physical and mailing address, telephone number, electronic or photographic image, or social security number obtained through a driver's license or personal identification card. DPS may sell the information to private companies that may then resell the information to other entities. Such personal information may provide access to private financial information and enable another person to obtain duplicate credit cards or to assume the person's identity. House Bill 673 prohibits DPS from disclosing this information. 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. ANALYSIS House Bill 673 amends the Government Code to prohibit the Department of Public Safety from disclosing, to a member of the public who has requested information, a person's physical address, mailing address, telephone number, electronic or photographic image, or social security number. The bill does not prohibit the disclosure of a person's zip code or apply to requested information regarding a person who is a registered sex offender at the time the request is made. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001.