Bill Caption

Relating to the availability of dates of birth under the public information law.

Fiscal Notes

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

Bill Analysis

HB 1655 would prohibit a governmental body from withholding a date of birth from a request subject to the Texas Public Information Act (TPIA) except in a circumstance that relates to federal privacy requirements. The purpose of this bill would be to make date of birth records accessible under the TPIA. Currently those records are not available under TPIA due to a 2015 court ruling which declared dates of birth located in all government documents to be private. 

Vote Recommendation Notes

Texas Action remains neutral on HB 1655 as it does not affect our liberty principles. The state has an obligation to protect the private data it collects on citizens to ensure that data is not used maliciously. That obligation must be balanced by the need to allow identifying information to be verified for a variety of purposes including processing credit applications, vetting the accuracy of voter registration lists, or verifying the identity of a person with a common name who is the subject of a newsworthy item of public interest. This bill appears to strike the appropriate balance on this issue.