| Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Positive | Positive |
No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Family Code to require a custodian of records to redact any personally identifiable information before disclosing any juvenile court record or file. The bill would not apply to information that is necessary for an agency to provide services or for law enforcement purposes or shared within the statewide information and case management system.
HB 4003 would require that before a court record of a juvenile defendant is released any identifying information about that defendant's victims who were under the age of 18 at the time they were victimized be redacted. There are exceptions for sharing information with other law enforcement agencies.
As the author's statement of intent explains: "Juvenile victims of another juvenile's delinquent conduct should not be subject to further inconvenience or have information about their victimization subject to public disclosure."
HB 4003 supports limited government and individual liberty by protecting juvenile victims of juvenile crimes from having their personal information unduly disclosed to the public. Providing for discretion in this area will allow such victims to heal and move forward with their lives. We support HB 4003.
The second chamber sponsor of this legislation is Senator Van Taylor.