BILL ANALYSIS
| Senate Research Center | S.B. 1841 |
| 89R5716 GP-D | By: Johnson |
| | Transportation |
| | 3/20/2025 |
| | As Filed |
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
S.B. 1495, which passed in the 88th Session, protects customers of airport parking from public information requests. Since the DFW airport governing board is considered a governmental agency, it is required that they provide any information they have to the public. The release of this information through the Texas Public Information Act (TPIA) could destroy the privacy of customers. S.B. 1495 made personally identifiable information confidential so that travel patterns and plans would not be public information. S.B. 1841 builds on S.B. 1495 to ensure that electronic purchases would also be exempt from disclosure.
When an airport consumer makes a purchase through an airport website or application, their information is collected. This process collects information on customers, creates consumer profiles, and stores important information including TSA and Global Entry information, travel history and plans, vehicle information, and parking history. S.B. 1841 would exempt information from the TPIA in relation to a person's use of an airport's website or digital application.
S.B. 1841 protects airport customers from data privacy risks by exempting customer name, profile name, phone number, zip code, travel dates, flight information, transaction date and times, lounge membership, TSA Pre-Check/CLEAR/Global Entry status, and customer vehicle information.
As proposed, S.B. 1841 amends current law relating to the confidentiality of certain information collected by certain local governments and airport governing boards.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 22.028, Transportation Code, as follows:
Sec. 22.028. CONFIDENTIALITY OF CERTAIN INFORMATION COLLECTED BY LOCAL GOVERNMENT. Provides that personal identifying information collected by a local government is confidential and not subject to disclosure under Chapter 552 (Public Information), Government Code, if the information collected is in relation to a person's use of an airport facility, rather than an airport parking facility, that includes:
(1) makes no changes to this subdivision;
(2)-(3) makes nonsubstantive changes to these subdivisions;
(4) the person's profile name associated with a purchase or other online or in-person activity;
(5) the person's travel dates and flight information;
(6) the dates, times, and amounts of any purchase made by the person; or
(7) the person's airport lounge memberships and trusted traveler information.
SECTION 2. Amends Section 22.091, Transportation Code, as follows:
Sec. 22.091. CONFIDENTIALITY OF CERTAIN INFORMATION COLLECTED BY JOINT BOARD. Provides that personal identifying information collected by a joint board for which the constituent agencies are populous home-rule municipalities is confidential and not subject to disclosure under Chapter 552, Government Code, if the information collected is in relation to:
(1) makes no changes to this subdivision; or
(2) a person's use of an airport facility, rather than airport parking facility, that includes:
(A) makes no changes to this paragraph;
(B)-(C) makes nonsubstantive changes to these paragraphs;
(D) the person's profile name associated with a purchase or other online or in-person activity;
(E) the person's travel dates and flight information;
(F) the dates, times, and amounts of any purchase made by the person; or
(G) the person's airport lounge memberships and trusted traveler information
SECTION 3. Makes application of this Act prospective.
SECTION 4. Effective date: September 1, 2025.
