SB487

Regular Session

Relating to the confidentiality of identifying information of victims of certain offenses.

LowStandard timeline

Low Cost

Effective:2025-09-01

Enforcing Agencies

Office of Court Administration • Department of Public Safety • District Attorneys/Prosecutors

Compliance Analysis

Key implementation requirements and action items for compliance with this legislation

Implementation Timeline

Effective Date: September 1, 2025
Compliance Deadline: September 1, 2025 (Immediate compliance required; no grace period).
Agency Rulemaking: Minimal. The Department of Public Safety (DPS) will update the existing Pseudonym Form to include checkboxes for Penal Code 21.15 and 22.012. No public comment period is expected to delay implementation.

Immediate Action Plan

1. Audit Data Filters: If you process criminal background data, immediately update exclusion lists to include Penal Code 21.15 and 22.012.
2. Update Incident Protocols: For hospitality and fitness clients, issue a memo to security directors regarding the handling of police reports for invasive recording incidents.
3. Review Vendor Compliance: Send a compliance notice to your background check provider requiring confirmation of their readiness for SB487.
4. Train Intake Staff: Ensure legal intake staff know to cross-reference subpoenas against the pseudonym registry before producing documents.

Operational Changes Required

Contracts

Background Screening Vendors: Review Master Service Agreements (MSAs) with third-party background check providers. Require certification that their algorithms are updated to flag and redact victim information for these two new offense categories by the effective date.
Settlement Agreements: NDAs and settlement agreements involving claims of invasive recording or indecent assault must align with statutory pseudonym protections if the plaintiff has opted into the state program.

Hiring/Training

HR & Legal Staff: Train staff to recognize "Pseudonym Forms" attached to subpoenas or court orders. Personnel must understand that releasing a file containing the victim's real name, when a court has assigned a pseudonym, creates significant privacy liability.
Security Teams (Hospitality/Fitness): Security personnel in high-risk venues (gyms, hotels) must be trained to map Law Enforcement Case Numbers to internal incident reports without creating a conflicting paper trail that exposes the victim's identity.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

Data Hygiene: Entities that aggregate public records must program systems to flag Penal Code Sections 21.15 and 22.012 as "High Privacy." Automated scraping tools must be updated to recognize pseudonym indicators in these files.
Internal Investigations: Segregate internal investigation files regarding these offenses from general personnel or customer files. Label them "Privileged/Confidential" to prevent accidental disclosure during routine record requests.

Fees & Costs

No New Fees: There are no state filing fees associated with this change.
Operational Costs: Minimal administrative costs related to updating software filters for data aggregators.

Strategic Ambiguities & Considerations

Internal vs. External Identification: The statute strictly governs *public* files held by the state. It does not explicitly dictate how a private employer handles an internal investigation where the victim is known to the company but is "Jane Doe" in the criminal case.
*Risk:* While the statute targets the state, common law privacy torts apply to businesses. Treat the victim's identity as if strict statutory confidentiality applies to your internal files to avoid negligence claims.
Data Scraper Latency: There is a risk that third-party vendors may scrape initial police blotters before a victim completes the Pseudonym Form. Businesses relying on "real-time" crime data must verify the current status of a record before making employment or tenancy decisions based on it.

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Legislative Timeline

This bill's path through the Texas Legislature

TopicsCrimes Crimes--against Persons Crimes--against Persons--general Crimes--against Persons--sexual Protection of Personal Information Crime Victims Sexual Assault Videotape & Film

Official Analysis

View HRO Analysis View All Bill Documents

BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 487
89R2333 MZM-D	By: Alvarado
	Criminal Justice
	3/11/2025
	As Filed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Victims of stalking, invasive visual recording, and indecent assault face ongoing risks of harassment, retaliation, and emotional distress if their identifying information is made public.� Current Texas law provides confidentiality protections for victims of stalking, shielding their personal information from public disclosure in legal proceedings.� However, victims of invasive visual recording and indecent assault do not currently receive the same privacy protections, despite facing similar threats to their safety and well-being.

Under the Code of Criminal Procedure, confidentiality protections apply to victims of stalking.� This means that personal identifying information of stalking victims�such as names, addresses, and contact details�is not subject to public disclosure in certain legal proceedings.� However, victims of invasive visual recording and indecent assault currently do not receive the same confidentiality protections, leaving them more vulnerable to public exposure and further victimization.� S.B. 487 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to extend confidentiality protections to victims of invasive visual recording and indecent assault.� The bill will extend the definition of "victim" under Article 58.151 to include individuals subjected to invasive visual recording and indecent assault, in addition to stalking victims.� Identifying information of victims of these offenses remains confidential and protected in legal proceedings, reducing the risk of further harassment or harm.� This bill is supported by multiple district attorneys' offices and has no recorded opposition.

As proposed, S.B. 487 amends current law relating to the confidentiality of identifying information of victims of certain offenses.

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 the heading to Subchapter D, Chapter 58, Code of Criminal Procedure, to read as follows:

SUBCHAPTER D. CONFIDENTIALITY OF IDENTIFYING INFORMATION OF VICTIMS OF STALKING, INVASIVE VISUAL RECORDING, OR INDECENT ASSAULT

SECTION 2. Amends Article 58.151, Code of Criminal Procedure, to redefine "victim."

SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 2025.

Senate Authors

Sen. Carol AlvaradoDemocrat · Primary Author

House Sponsors

Rep. Maria FloresDemocrat · Primary Sponsor

Joint Sponsors

Cosponsors (3)

Bill Text(with markup)

S.B. No. 487

View bill text in multiple formats on Texas Legislature website

Fiscal NoteView Original

	AN ACT
	relating to the confidentiality of identifying information of
	victims of certain offenses.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1. The heading to Subchapter D, Chapter 58, Code of
	Criminal Procedure, is amended to read as follows:
	SUBCHAPTER D. CONFIDENTIALITY OF IDENTIFYING INFORMATION OF
	VICTIMS OF STALKING, INVASIVE VISUAL RECORDING, OR INDECENT ASSAULT
	SECTION 2. Article 58.151, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
	amended to read as follows:
	Art. 58.151. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "victim"
	means a person who is the subject of:
	(1) an offense that allegedly constitutes:
	(A) stalking under Section 42.072, Penal Code;
	(B) invasive visual recording under Section
	21.15, Penal Code; or
	(C) indecent assault under Section 22.012, Penal
	Code; or
	(2) an offense that is part of the same criminal
	episode, as defined by Section 3.01, Penal Code, as an offense
	described by Subdivision (1) [~~under Section 42.072, Penal Code~~].
	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.

LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 89TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION


March 16, 2025

TO:	Honorable Pete Flores, Chair, Senate Committee on Criminal Justice

FROM:	Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board

IN RE:	SB487 by Alvarado (Relating to the confidentiality of identifying information of victims of certain offenses.), As Introduced

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would provide for the confidentiality of identifying information of victims of certain offenses.

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:

212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council, 405 Department of Public Safety

LBB Staff:

JMc, MGol, CSh, KVEL

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about SB487

What does Texas SB487 do?

SB487 expands the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure's pseudonym confidentiality protections to include victims of Invasive Visual Recording and Indecent Assault. Effective September 1, 2025, businesses—particularly data brokers, background screening providers, and premises owners (hospitality/fitness)—must adjust data processing and incident reporting protocols to ensure victim identities associated with these specific penal codes are redacted from public-facing records. Implementation Timeline Effective Date: September 1, 2025 Compliance Deadline: September 1, 2025 (Immediate compliance required; no grace period).

Who authored SB487?

SB487 was authored by Texas Senator Carol Alvarado during the Regular Session.

When was SB487 signed into law?

SB487 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on May 13, 2025.

Which agencies enforce SB487?

SB487 is enforced by Office of Court Administration, Department of Public Safety and District Attorneys/Prosecutors.

How urgent is compliance with SB487?

The compliance urgency for SB487 is rated as "low". Businesses and organizations should review the requirements and timeline to ensure timely compliance.

What is the cost impact of SB487?

The cost impact of SB487 is estimated as "low". This may vary based on industry and implementation requirements.

What topics does SB487 address?

SB487 addresses topics including crimes, crimes--against persons, crimes--against persons--general, crimes--against persons--sexual and protection of personal information.

Legislative data provided by LegiScanLast updated: November 25, 2025

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