SB 35 – Developmentally Disabled Mortality Reviews
by Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo
  Under this proposal, the records and meetings of the mortality review teams who review deaths of “developmentally disabled” individuals would not be subject to the Texas Open Meetings Act or the Texas Public Information Act.

Status

SB 281 – Judges' Home Addresses
By Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Moun
Same as HB 598 By Rep. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola
 These bills essentially do the same thing - allow federal and state judges and their spouses to leave their home addresses off of their Texas drivers' licenses. Instead, they would be allowed to list the address of the judge's courthouse.

Status

SB 321 – School Board Trustee Information
by Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso
  This bill would require school board trustees, candidates and campaign committees to report political contributions to the Texas Ethics Commission which would post the information on its Web site as would individual school boards. This bill would also amend Election Code by adding 254.04011, requiring campaign finance reports to be posted on the Internet and accessible to the public. Posting must be done within five days of filing.

Status

Status

SB 375 - Motor Vehicle Accident Information
by Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas
Same as HB 1826 by Rep. Todd Smith, R-Euless
  This bill would amend Transportation Code 550.065 by amending subsections (a), (b) and (d) and adding subsections (e) and (f). Under (e), see "The [DPS] may not release under this subsection information that: (1) is personal information, as defined by Section 730.003; or (2) identifies a specific accident." [Transportation Code 730 is the Motor Vehicle Records Disclosure Act.] 730.003 (6): "Personal information" means information that identifies a person, including an individual’s photograph or computerized image, social security number, driver identification number, name, address, but not the zip code, telephone number and medical or disability information."

SB 388 - Law Enforcement Integrity Unit

by Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas
  This bill would amend Government Code by adding Section 411.0207, LAW ENFORCEMENT INTEGRITY UNIT, a new unit within the DPS "to assist in the enforcement of laws relating to law enforcement corruption." Paragraph (c) says "information disclosed under this subsection is confidential and not subject to disclosure under Chapter 552."

SB 915 - Free Flow of Information Act

by Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston and Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock

Same as HB 670 by Rep. Tony Martinez-Fischer, D-San Antonio 

 This important bill would do several things to ensure legal protection for Texas' journalists that, unfortunately, is sorely lacking. It would accomplish this several ways, including:

-Requiring a judge to decide whether disclosure of a reporter's information is essential to a criminal or civil case, could be obtained otherwise and will serve the public interest.

-Providing a framework for that judge to use - something judges have asked for in Texas case rulings since the early 1990's

-Requiring journalists to testify at the request of criminal prosecutors, criminal defendants and civil litigants using balancing tests that are based on existing case law and the U.S. Department of Justice's guidelines for subpoenaing reporters that have been in place for more than 30 years.

-Establishing that journalists must divulge information in situations where the journalist is an eyewitness to a crime or in instances where someone's life depends on confidential source information.

 Law enforcement officials and litigation adversaries often first subpoena reporters' notes, video outtakes or other unpublished information before conducting their own investigations. This practice essentially turns the news media into a de facto investigative arm of law enforcement or litigators. Allowing this practice to continue erodes the independence of the media and the public's trust in the media as impartial providers of news.

 Texas has no statute prohibiting this practice. Court rulings have found that the First Amendment does not provide protections against this practice, but the U.S. Supreme Court has pointedly ruled in a key case that Congress and the states could enact measures to create protections for reporters' confidential sources. To date, 36 states and the District of Columbia have enacted such protection.

SB 1182 - Public Information Act

by Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R - San Antonio

Same a as HB 3522 by Rep. Soloman Ortiz, Jr., D-Corpus Christi
  This bill would require a governmenetal body to send a copy of any written comments submitted to the attorney general to an open records requestor within 15 business days of the request.

SB 1629 - Cost of Information

by Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio

Same as HB 4147 by Rep. Patrick Rose, D-Dripping Springs
  Last session, section 552.275 of the Government Code was amended so that a governmental body may establish a reasonable time limit and charge a fee if the time limit required for responding to public information requests from repeat requesters is exceeded.
This bill amends that subsection by expanding the definition of one of the groups and adding a third group to the list of exempted parties. The definition of newspaper would be expanded to include newspapers of general circulation that are published on the Internet, and magazines that are engaged in disseminating news or information to the general public would be incorporated in the list of exceptions. This measure would help provide information to the general public.

SB 1686 - Discovery in Criminal Case

by Sen. Juan Hinojosa, D-McAllen

Same as HB 1168 by Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston
  Under this bill, neither the attorney representing the state nor the attorney representing the defendant may disclose, without obtaining approval of the trial court, information or witness statements received from the opposing party to any third party, including the defendant, other than to an investigator, expert, or other agent for the attorney representing the state or the attorney representing the defendant, as applicable. Information or witness statements received under this article may not be made available to the public. Also, Section 13, Conflict of Law, says "To the extent of any conflict, this article prevails over Chapter 552, Government Code."

SB 1912 - Government Employee DOB's
by Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock
Same as HB 4207 by Rep. Helen Giddings, D-De Soto
  This bill stems from a Dallas Morning News Public Information Act Request for dates of birth (DOB's) for public employees. The News' case is pending with the Texas Supreme Court. The bill closes off a number of types of public employees' personal information including DOB's. Newsrooms often use DOB's in research to verify which individuals are the subject of reporting. DOB's typically do not appear in reporting. The Texas Comptrollers Office went to court to prevent release of DOB's in the Morning News case claiming that release would encourage identity theft. Not a single case of identity theft related to a TPIA request was cited in the lawsuit or in committee testimony. Unfortunately, only one member of the committee was present when media testimony was taken on the bill.