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SB370

Regular Session

Relating to the availability of certain personal information of a child, spouse, or surviving spouse of a current or former employee of the office of the attorney general or of a public defender's office.

Low
Low Cost
Effective:2025-09-01
Enforcing Agencies

Office of the Attorney General • County Appraisal Districts • Governmental Bodies (Public Information Officers)

01

Compliance Analysis

Key implementation requirements and action items for compliance with this legislation

Implementation Timeline

  • Effective Date: September 1, 2025
  • Compliance Deadline: August 31, 2025 (Data systems and redaction filters must be updated *before* the effective date to prevent non-compliant releases on Day 1).
  • Agency Rulemaking: No formal rulemaking mandated; however, the OAG and Comptroller may update "Election for Confidentiality" forms. Expect local Appraisal Districts to update intake procedures for Tax Code 25.025 compliance by August 2025.

Immediate Action Plan

  • Immediate: IT Directors must flag "Office of the Attorney General" and "Public Defender" as high-risk keywords in all client and employee databases.
  • By July 1, 2025: Update automated redaction software to include the expanded list of covered individuals (all employees, not just law enforcement divisions).
  • By August 15, 2025: Audit legacy data. While the law applies to requests received after 9/1/25, holding un-redacted legacy data creates significant liability if a breach occurs or if it is re-published.
  • By September 1, 2025: Ensure Public Information Officer (PIO) manuals are updated to permit immediate redaction of this data without AG review.

Operational Changes Required

Contracts

  • Government Vendor MSAs: If you provide HR, IT, or administrative services to the OAG or County Public Defenders, amend Master Service Agreements to acknowledge expanded data protection liabilities.
  • Data Use Agreements: Third-party data aggregators must review agreements with counties. You are now prohibited from displaying this data; ensure your upstream data providers (counties) are flagging these records correctly so your downstream products do not inadvertently publish them.

Hiring/Training

  • PIA Officers: Train staff handling Public Information Act requests that they are now authorized to redact this specific data *without* seeking an Attorney General ruling.
  • Real Estate/Lending Staff: Train loan officers and title agents on manual verification workflows. They will encounter more "Owner Confidential" results in tax rolls and must know how to request direct tax certificates or affidavits to verify ownership for these employees.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

  • Confidentiality Election Forms: Employers (OAG/Counties) must process election forms under Gov't Code 552.024. Vendors managing these HR systems must ensure the database fields exist to capture this election.
  • Tax Roll Suppression: Real estate data managers must track the specific suppression code under Tax Code 25.025 to differentiate these individuals from other protected classes (judges/police) for reporting purposes.

Fees & Costs

  • IT Remediation: Budget for immediate costs to update redaction software and "scrape" logic.
  • No State Fees: There are no new filing fees, but the cost of non-compliance includes potential criminal misdemeanor penalties and civil liability.

Strategic Ambiguities & Considerations

  • Definition of "Public Defender's Office": The bill references Article 26.044(a), Code of Criminal Procedure. It is unclear if this protection extends to employees of non-profit "Managed Assigned Counsel" organizations that contract with counties but are not strictly government agencies. Guidance: Treat these entities as covered until the AG issues a clarifying opinion.
  • Family Member Verification: The law protects adult children and surviving spouses, but there is no centralized registry for these relationships. Businesses are reliant on the employee/survivor self-reporting to the appraisal district or employer. Risk: If your system auto-populates family data from external sources, you may inadvertently expose a protected "adult child" because your system didn't link them to the protected employee.

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Information presented is for general knowledge only and is provided without warranty, express or implied. Consult qualified government affairs professionals and legal counsel before making compliance decisions.

02

Legislative Timeline

This bill's path through the Texas Legislature

Filed
Nov 14, 2024
Passed Senate
Mar 11, 2025
Passed House
May 23, 2025
Signed
Jun 20, 2025
TopicsOpen RecordsProtection of Personal InformationState EmployeesAttorney GeneralMinorsMinors--generalLawyers
03

Official Analysis

View HRO AnalysisView All Bill Documents

BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center

S.B. 370

89R2735 TJB-D

By: Perry

Business & Commerce

2/13/2025

As Filed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Current confidentiality statutes contain lists of certain government employees that are allowed to exempt their name from public discourse on state records and in property tax appraisal records. These statutes help ensure that these government employees can keep their home addresses and personal identifying information confidential if they choose to do so.

Current law only provides these confidentiality protections to a few limited divisions at the office of the attorney general. The proposed legislation allows all current or former employees of the office of the attorney general to obtain these confidentiality protections, regardless of which division they worked in at the agency. Additionally, this bill extends these protections to the spouse and children of employees of the office of the attorney general. Several other government agencies have already extended these confidentiality protections to spouses and children. This legislation simply provides parity for the office of the attorney general with other agencies.

As proposed, S.B. 370 amends current law relating to the availability of certain personal information of a child, spouse, or surviving spouse of a current or former employee of the office of the attorney general.

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 Sections 552.117(a) and (c), Government Code, as follows:

(a) Provides that information is excepted from the requirements of Section 552.021 (Availability of Public Information) if it is information that relates to the home address, home telephone number, emergency contact information, or social security number of the following person or that reveals whether the person has family members:

(1)-(6) makes no changes to these subdivisions;

(7) a current or former employee of the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and a family member of the current or former employee, rather than a current or former employee of OAG who is or was assigned to a division of that office the duties of which involve law enforcement or are performed under Chapter 231 (Title IV-D Services), Family Code, regardless of whether the person, rather than the current or former employee, complies with Section 552.024 (Electing to Disclose Address and Telephone Number) or 552.1175 (Exception: Confidentiality of Certain Personal Identifying Information of Peace Officers and Other Officials Performing Sensitive Governmental Functions); or

(8)-(19) makes no changes to these subdivisions.

(c) Redefines "family member."

SECTION 2. Amends Section 552.1175, Government Code, by amending Subsections (a) and (f) and adding Subsections (b-1) and (i), as follows:

(a) Makes conforming and nonsubstantive changes to this subsection.

(b-1) Provides that information included in a form submitted under Subsection (b) (relating to providing that certain information is confidential and is prohibited from being disclosed to the public if the individual chooses to restrict public access to the information) and any supplemental information included as part of the submission are confidential and not subject to disclosure under Chapter 552 (Public Information).

(f) Authorizes a governmental body to redact information that is required to be withheld under Subsection (b) or (b-1) from any information the governmental body discloses under Section 552.021 without the necessity of requesting a decision from the attorney general under Subchapter G (Attorney General Decisions).

(i) Defines "family member."

SECTION 3. Reenacts Section 25.025(a), Tax Code, as amended by Chapters 76 (S.B. 617), 152 (S.B. 870), 430 (H.B. 1911), 765 (H.B. 4504), and 937 (S.B. 1525), Acts of the 88th Legislature, Regular Session, 2023, and amends it to make conforming and nonsubstantive changes.

SECTION 4. Amends Section 25.025(a-1)(1), Tax Code, to redefine "family member."

SECTION 5. Provides that, to the extent of any conflict, this Act prevails over another Act of the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025, relating to nonsubstantive additions to and corrections in enacted codes.

SECTION 6. Makes application of this Act prospective.

SECTION 7. Effective date: September 1, 2025.

Senate Authors

Sen. Charles PerryRepublican · Primary Author

House Sponsor

Rep. Sam HarlessRepublican · Primary Sponsor

Bill Text(with markup)

S.B. No. 370
AN ACT
relating to the availability of certain personal information of a
child, spouse, or surviving spouse of a current or former employee
of the office of the attorney general or of a public defender's
office.
       BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
       SECTION 1.  Sections 552.117(a) and (c), Government Code,
are amended to read as follows:
       (a)  Information is excepted from the requirements of
Section 552.021 if it is information that relates to the home
address, home telephone number, emergency contact information, or
social security number of the following person or that reveals
whether the person has family members:
             (1)  a current or former official or employee of a
governmental body, except as otherwise provided by Section 552.024;
             (2)  a current or honorably retired peace officer as
defined by Article 2A.001, Code of Criminal Procedure, or a current
or honorably retired security officer commissioned under Section
51.212, Education Code, regardless of whether the officer complies
with Section 552.024 or 552.1175, as applicable;
             (3)  a current or former employee of the Texas
Department of Criminal Justice or of the predecessor in function of
the department or any division of the department, regardless of
whether the current or former employee complies with Section
552.1175;
             (4)  a peace officer as defined by Article 2A.001, Code
of Criminal Procedure, or other law, a reserve law enforcement
officer, a commissioned deputy game warden, or a corrections
officer in a municipal, county, or state penal institution in this
state who was killed in the line of duty, regardless of whether the
deceased complied with Section 552.024 or 552.1175;
             (5)  a commissioned security officer as defined by
Section 1702.002, Occupations Code, regardless of whether the
officer complies with Section 552.024 or 552.1175, as applicable;
             (6)  an officer or employee of a community supervision
and corrections department established under Chapter 76 who
performs a duty described by Section 76.004(b), regardless of
whether the officer or employee complies with Section 552.024 or
552.1175;
             (7)  a current or former employee of the office of the
attorney general and a family member of the current or former
employee [who is or was assigned to a division of that office the
duties of which involve law enforcement or are performed under
Chapter 231, Family Code], regardless of whether the person
[current or former employee] complies with Section 552.024 or
552.1175;
             (8)  a current or former employee of the Texas Juvenile
Justice Department or of the predecessors in function of the
department, regardless of whether the current or former employee
complies with Section 552.024 or 552.1175;
             (9)  a current or former juvenile probation or
supervision officer certified by the Texas Juvenile Justice
Department, or the predecessors in function of the department,
under Title 12, Human Resources Code, regardless of whether the
current or former officer complies with Section 552.024 or
552.1175;
             (10)  a current or former employee of a juvenile
justice program or facility, as those terms are defined by Section
261.405, Family Code, regardless of whether the current or former
employee complies with Section 552.024 or 552.1175;
             (11)  a current or former member of the United States
Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, or Marine Corps, an auxiliary
service of one of those branches of the armed forces, or the Texas
military forces, as that term is defined by Section 437.001;
             (12)  a current or former district attorney, criminal
district attorney, or county or municipal attorney whose
jurisdiction includes any criminal law or child protective services
matters, regardless of whether the current or former attorney
complies with Section 552.024 or 552.1175;
             (13)  a current or former employee of a district
attorney, criminal district attorney, or county or municipal
attorney whose jurisdiction includes any criminal law or child
protective services matters, regardless of whether the current or
former employee complies with Section 552.024 or 552.1175;
             (14)  a current or former employee of the Texas Civil
Commitment Office or of the predecessor in function of the office or
a division of the office, regardless of whether the current or
former employee complies with Section 552.024 or 552.1175;
             (15)  a current or former federal judge or state judge,
as those terms are defined by Section 1.005, Election Code, a
federal bankruptcy judge, a marshal of the United States Marshals
Service, a United States attorney, or a family member of a current
or former federal judge, including a federal bankruptcy judge, a
marshal of the United States Marshals Service, a United States
attorney, or a state judge;
             (16)  a current or former child protective services
caseworker, adult protective services caseworker, or investigator
for the Department of Family and Protective Services, regardless of
whether the caseworker or investigator complies with Section
552.024 or 552.1175, or a current or former employee of a department
contractor performing child protective services caseworker, adult
protective services caseworker, or investigator functions for the
contractor on behalf of the department;
             (17)  an elected public officer, regardless of whether
the officer complies with Section 552.024 or 552.1175;
             (18)  a current or former United States attorney,
assistant United States attorney, federal public defender, deputy
federal public defender, or assistant federal public defender and
the spouse or child of the current or former attorney or public
defender, regardless of whether the person complies with Section
552.024 or 552.1175; [or]
             (19)  a firefighter or volunteer firefighter or
emergency medical services personnel as defined by Section 773.003,
Health and Safety Code, regardless of whether the firefighter or
volunteer firefighter or emergency medical services personnel
comply with Section 552.024 or 552.1175, as applicable; or
(20)  a current or former employee of a public
defender's office as defined by Article 26.044(a), Code of Criminal
Procedure, regardless of whether the current or former employee
complies with Section 552.024 or 552.1175.
       (c)  In this section, "family member" means a minor child,
adult child, spouse, or surviving spouse [has the meaning assigned
by Section 31.006, Finance Code].
       SECTION 2.  Section 552.1175, Government Code, is amended by
amending Subsections (a) and (f) and adding Subsections (b-1) and
(i) to read as follows:
       (a)  This section applies only to:
             (1)  current or honorably retired peace officers as
defined by Article 2A.001, Code of Criminal Procedure, or special
investigators as described by Article 2A.002, Code of Criminal
Procedure;
             (2)  current or honorably retired county jailers as
defined by Section 1701.001, Occupations Code;
             (3)  current or former employees of the Texas
Department of Criminal Justice or of the predecessor in function of
the department or any division of the department;
             (4)  commissioned security officers as defined by
Section 1702.002, Occupations Code;
             (5)  a current or former district attorney, criminal
district attorney, or county or municipal attorney whose
jurisdiction includes any criminal law or child protective services
matters;
             (5-a)  a current or former employee of a district
attorney, criminal district attorney, or county or municipal
attorney whose jurisdiction includes any criminal law or child
protective services matters;
             (6)  officers and employees of a community supervision
and corrections department established under Chapter 76 who perform
a duty described by Section 76.004(b);
             (7)  criminal investigators of the United States as
described by Article 2A.002(a), Code of Criminal Procedure;
             (8)  current or honorably retired police officers and
inspectors of the United States Federal Protective Service;
             (9)  current or [and] former employees of the office of
the attorney general and a family member of the current or former
employee [who are or were assigned to a division of that office the
duties of which involve law enforcement or are performed under
Chapter 231, Family Code];
             (10)  current or former juvenile probation and
detention officers certified by the Texas Juvenile Justice
Department, or the predecessors in function of the department,
under Title 12, Human Resources Code;
             (11)  current or former employees of a juvenile justice
program or facility, as those terms are defined by Section 261.405,
Family Code;
             (12)  current or former employees of the Texas Juvenile
Justice Department or the predecessors in function of the
department;
             (13)  federal judges and state judges as defined by
Section 1.005, Election Code;
             (14)  current or former employees of the Texas Civil
Commitment Office or of the predecessor in function of the office or
a division of the office;
             (15)  a current or former member of the United States
Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, or Marine Corps, an auxiliary
service of one of those branches of the armed forces, or the Texas
military forces, as that term is defined by Section 437.001;
             (16)  a current or former child protective services
caseworker, adult protective services caseworker, or investigator
for the Department of Family and Protective Services or a current or
former employee of a department contractor performing child
protective services caseworker, adult protective services
caseworker, or investigator functions for the contractor on behalf
of the department;
             (17)  an elected public officer;
             (18)  a firefighter or volunteer firefighter or
emergency medical services personnel as defined by Section 773.003,
Health and Safety Code; [and]
             (19)  a current or former United States attorney,
assistant United States attorney, federal public defender, deputy
federal public defender, or assistant federal public defender; or
(20)  a current or former employee of a public
defender's office as defined by Article 26.044(a), Code of Criminal
Procedure.
(b-1)  Information included in a form submitted under
Subsection (b) and any supplemental information included as part of
the submission are confidential and not subject to disclosure under
this chapter.
       (f)  A governmental body may redact information that must be
withheld under Subsection (b) or (b-1) from any information the
governmental body discloses under Section 552.021 without the
necessity of requesting a decision from the attorney general under
Subchapter G.
(i)  In this section, "family member" means a minor child,
adult child, spouse, or surviving spouse.
       SECTION 3.  Section 25.025(a), Tax Code, as amended by
Chapters 76 (S.B. 617), 152 (S.B. 870), 430 (H.B. 1911), 765
(H.B. 4504), and 937 (S.B. 1525), Acts of the 88th Legislature,
Regular Session, 2023, is reenacted and amended to read as follows:
       (a)  This section applies only to:
             (1)  a current or former peace officer as defined by
Article 2A.001, Code of Criminal Procedure, and the spouse or
surviving spouse of the peace officer;
             (2)  the adult child of a current peace officer as
defined by Article 2A.001, Code of Criminal Procedure;
             (3)  a current or honorably retired county jailer as
defined by Section 1701.001, Occupations Code;
             (4)  an employee of the Texas Department of Criminal
Justice;
             (5)  a commissioned security officer as defined by
Section 1702.002, Occupations Code;
             (6)  an individual who shows that the individual, the
individual's child, or another person in the individual's household
is a victim of family violence as defined by Section 71.004, Family
Code, by providing:
                   (A)  a copy of a protective order issued under
Chapter 85, Family Code, or a magistrate's order for emergency
protection issued under Article 17.292, Code of Criminal Procedure;
or
                   (B)  other independent documentary evidence
necessary to show that the individual, the individual's child, or
another person in the individual's household is a victim of family
violence;
             (7)  an individual who shows that the individual, the
individual's child, or another person in the individual's household
is a victim of sexual assault or abuse, stalking, or trafficking of
persons by providing:
                   (A)  a copy of a protective order issued under
Subchapter A or B, Chapter 7B, Code of Criminal Procedure, or a
magistrate's order for emergency protection issued under Article
17.292, Code of Criminal Procedure; or
                   (B)  other independent documentary evidence
necessary to show that the individual, the individual's child, or
another person in the individual's household is a victim of sexual
assault or abuse, stalking, or trafficking of persons;
             (8)  a participant in the address confidentiality
program administered by the attorney general under Subchapter B,
Chapter 58, Code of Criminal Procedure, who provides proof of
certification under Article 58.059, Code of Criminal Procedure;
             (9)  a federal judge, a federal bankruptcy judge, a
marshal of the United States Marshals Service, a state judge, or a
family member of a federal judge, a federal bankruptcy judge, a
marshal of the United States Marshals Service, or a state judge;
             (10)  a current or former district attorney, criminal
district attorney, or county or municipal attorney whose
jurisdiction includes any criminal law or child protective services
matters;
             (11)  a current or former employee of a district
attorney, criminal district attorney, or county or municipal
attorney whose jurisdiction includes any criminal law or child
protective services matters;
             (12)  an officer or employee of a community supervision
and corrections department established under Chapter 76,
Government Code, who performs a duty described by Section 76.004(b)
of that code;
             (13)  a criminal investigator of the United States as
described by Article 2A.002(a), Code of Criminal Procedure;
             (14)  a current or honorably retired police officer or
inspector of the United States Federal Protective Service;
             (15)  a current or former United States attorney,
assistant United States attorney, federal public defender, deputy
federal public defender, or assistant federal public defender and
the spouse and child of the attorney or public defender;
             (16)  a current or former employee of the office of the
attorney general and a family member of the current or former
employee [who is or was assigned to a division of that office the
duties of which involve law enforcement or are performed under
Chapter 231, Family Code];
             (17)  a medical examiner or person who performs
forensic analysis or testing who is employed by this state or one or
more political subdivisions of this state;
             (18)  a current or former member of the United States
armed forces who has served in an area that the president of the
United States by executive order designates for purposes of 26
U.S.C. Section 112 as an area in which armed forces of the United
States are or have engaged in combat;
             (19)  a current or former employee of the Texas
Juvenile Justice Department or of the predecessors in function of
the department;
             (20)  a current or former juvenile probation or
supervision officer certified by the Texas Juvenile Justice
Department, or the predecessors in function of the department,
under Title 12, Human Resources Code;
             (21)  a current or former employee of a juvenile
justice program or facility, as those terms are defined by Section
261.405, Family Code;
             (22)  a current or former employee of the Texas Civil
Commitment Office or the predecessor in function of the office or a
division of the office;
             (23)  a current or former employee of a federal judge or
state judge;
             (24)  a current or former child protective services
caseworker, adult protective services caseworker, or investigator
for the Department of Family and Protective Services or a current or
former employee of a department contractor performing child
protective services caseworker, adult protective services
caseworker, or investigator functions for the contractor on behalf
of the department;
             (25)  an elected public officer;
             (26)  a firefighter or volunteer firefighter or
emergency medical services personnel as defined by Section 773.003,
Health and Safety Code;
             (27)  a customs and border protection officer or border
patrol agent of United States Customs and Border Protection or the
spouse, surviving spouse, or adult child of a customs and border
protection officer or border patrol agent;
(28)  [(27)  a current or former attorney for the
Department of Family and Protective Services
             [(27)]  a current or former employee or contract staff
member of a university health care provider at a corrections
facility operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or
the Texas Juvenile Justice Department; [and]
(29) [(28)]  a current or former attorney for the
Department of Family and Protective Services; and
(30)  a current or former employee of a public
defender's office as defined by Article 26.044(a), Code of Criminal
Procedure.
       SECTION 4.  Section 25.025(a-1)(1), Tax Code, is amended to
read as follows:
             (1)  "Family member" means a minor child, adult child,
spouse, or surviving spouse [has the meaning assigned by Section
31.006,

Showing first 50k characters.

View bill text in multiple formats on Texas Legislature website

Fiscal NoteView Original

LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE, 89TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
February 17, 2025

TO:
Honorable Charles Schwertner, Chair, Senate Committee on Business & Commerce
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB370 by Perry (Relating to the availability of certain personal information of a child, spouse, or surviving spouse of a current or former employee of the office of the attorney general.), As Introduced

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

It is assumed that any costs associated with the bill could be absorbed using existing resources.

Local Government Impact

No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.


Source Agencies:
302 Office of the Attorney General
LBB Staff:
JMc, CMA, LCO, JKe

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Quick Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about SB370

Q

What does Texas SB370 do?

SB370 mandates strict confidentiality for all current and former employees of the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and Public Defender’s Offices, expanding protections to their spouses, surviving spouses, and children. This law forces government contractors, data brokers, and real estate professionals to immediately update data scrubbing algorithms and redaction protocols to avoid criminal liability for releasing protected Personally Identifiable Information (PII) effective September 1, 2025. Implementation Timeline Effective Date: September 1, 2025 Compliance Deadline: August 31, 2025 (Data systems and redaction filters must be updated before the effective date to prevent non-compliant releases on Day 1).

Q

Who authored SB370?

SB370 was authored by Texas Senator Charles Perry during the Regular Session.

Q

When was SB370 signed into law?

SB370 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 20, 2025.

Q

Which agencies enforce SB370?

SB370 is enforced by Office of the Attorney General, County Appraisal Districts and Governmental Bodies (Public Information Officers).

Q

How urgent is compliance with SB370?

The compliance urgency for SB370 is rated as "low". Businesses and organizations should review the requirements and timeline to ensure timely compliance.

Q

What is the cost impact of SB370?

The cost impact of SB370 is estimated as "low". This may vary based on industry and implementation requirements.

Q

What topics does SB370 address?

SB370 addresses topics including open records, protection of personal information, state employees, attorney general and minors.

Legislative data provided by LegiScanLast updated: November 25, 2025

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