HBA-DMD, MAJ H.B. 139 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 139
By: McClendon
Public Safety
4/11/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, there is no way for the public to easily and inexpensively
access information about registered sex offenders in Texas.  H.B. 139
requires the Texas Department of Public Safety to maintain a toll-free
telephone number that a person may call to obtain certain sex offender
registration information.  

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 411.135(b), Government Code, as added by Chapter
747, Acts of the4/11/1999 Texas Department of Public Safety (department) to
maintain a toll-free telephone number that a person may call to obtain
certain sex offender registration information described by Subsection
(a)(1).  Subsection (a)(1) states that any person is entitled to obtain
from the department any information described as public information under
Section 5, Article 6252-13c.1, V.T.C.S., (Redesignated as Code of Criminal
Procedure, arts. 62.01 to 62.12 (specifically Art. 62.02, Registration and
Art. 62.08, Central Database; Public Information) by Acts 1997, 75th
Legislature, ch. 668, Section 1).  

SECTION 2.  Requires the department to implement the toll-free number
described by Section 411.135(b), Government Code, no later than October 1,
1999. 

SECTION 3.  Effective date: September 1, 1999.

SECTION 4.  Emergency clause.