S.B. No. 489
AN ACT
relating to personal information that may be omitted from certain
records, licenses, and reports and to other court security
measures.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 254, Election Code, is
amended by adding Section 254.0313 to read as follows:
Sec. 254.0313. OMISSION OF ADDRESS FOR JUDGE AND SPOUSE.
(a) In this section, “federal judge” and “state judge” have the
meanings assigned by Section 13.0021.
(b) On receiving notice from the Office of Court
Administration of the Texas Judicial System of a judge’s
qualification for office or on receipt of a written request from a
federal judge, state judge, or spouse of a federal or state judge,
the commission shall remove or redact the residence address of a
federal judge, a state judge, or the spouse of a federal or state
judge from any report filed by the judge in the judge’s capacity or
made available on the Internet under this chapter.
SECTION 2. Section 72.015, Government Code, is amended by
adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:
(d) The director of security and emergency preparedness
shall annually submit to the legislature:
(1) a report on court security activities throughout
the state supported by the judicial security division, including:
(A) the technical aspects of providing court
security;
(B) court security training provided or required
by the judicial security division;
(C) sufficiency of judicial security division
resources to evaluate and monitor court security; and
(D) the adequacy of funding to maintain court
security; and
(2) recommendations for:
(A) monitoring the use of state resources in
providing court security;
(B) improving court security; and
(C) increasing the amount of state funds and
other resources made available for court security.
SECTION 3. Section 145.007, Local Government Code, is
amended by adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:
(d) On the written request of a municipal court judge of the
municipality or a candidate for municipal court judge, the clerk or
secretary of the municipality shall remove or redact the residence
address of the municipal court judge, municipal court judge’s
spouse, or candidate for the office of municipal court judge, from a
financial statement filed under this chapter before the financial
statement is made available to a member of the public.
SECTION 4. Chapter 159, Local Government Code, is amended
by adding Subchapter D to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER D. PROTECTION FOR JUDICIAL OFFICERS
Sec. 159.071. OMISSION OF ADDRESS. (a) In this section:
(1) “County attorney” means a county attorney whose
jurisdiction includes any criminal law or child protective services
matter.
(2) “State judge” has the meaning assigned by Section
13.0021, Election Code.
(b) On receiving notice from the Office of Court
Administration of the Texas Judicial System of a county attorney’s
or state judge’s qualifications for office or on receipt of a
written request from a county attorney, state judge, spouse of a
county attorney or state judge, or candidate for the office of
county attorney or state judge, the county clerk shall remove or
redact the residence address of the county attorney, state judge,
spouse of a county attorney or state judge, or candidate for the
office of county attorney or state judge from any report filed under
this chapter by the county attorney, state judge, or candidate
before the statement is made available to a member of the public.
SECTION 5. Section 11.008(a), Property Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) In this section, “instrument” means a deed, [or] deed of
trust, or any other record recorded by a county clerk related to
real property, including a mineral lease, a mechanic’s lien, and
the release of a mechanic’s lien.
SECTION 6. Section 25.025(b), Tax Code, is amended to read
as follows:
(b) Information in appraisal records under Section 25.02 is
confidential and is available only for the official use of the
appraisal district, this state, the comptroller, and taxing units
and political subdivisions of this state if:
(1) the information identifies the home address of a
named individual to whom this section applies; and
(2) the individual:
(A) chooses to restrict public access to the
information on the form prescribed for that purpose by the
comptroller under Section 5.07; or
(B) is a federal or state judge [as defined by
Section 572.002, Government Code], or the spouse of a federal or
state judge, beginning on the date the Office of Court
Administration of the Texas Judicial System notifies the appraisal
district of the judge’s qualification for the judge’s office.
SECTION 7. Section 521.121(c), Transportation Code, is
amended to read as follows:
(c) The department shall establish a procedure, on a license
holder’s qualification for office as a federal or state judge as
defined by Section 13.0021, Election Code [572.002, Government
Code], to omit the residence address of the judge and the spouse of
the judge on the license holder’s license and to include, in lieu of
that address, the street address of the courthouse in which the
license holder or license holder’s spouse serves as a federal judge
or state judge.
SECTION 8. Section 254.0313, Election Code, as added by
this Act, applies only to a report filed by a federal judge or state
judge on or after the effective date of this Act.
SECTION 9. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.
______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 489 passed the Senate on
March 18, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0; and that
the Senate concurred in House amendments on May 24, 2019, by the
following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 489 passed the House, with
amendments, on May 22, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 143,
Nays 0, two present not voting.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
Approved:
______________________________
Date
______________________________
Governor