SB2068

The act adds those four categories of children’s information to Tax Code 11.48(a), which already protected driver’s-license numbers, personal-identification certificate numbers and Social Security numbers in exemption applications. The covered information is not open to public inspection. Outside the statutory exceptions, it may be disclosed only to appraisal-district employees or agents who appraise property or perform appraisal services. This is a rule about identifying information supplied in that kind of application, not a new exemption from property tax. Final law; Existing disclosure exceptions and enforcement.

The existing exceptions remain: disclosure under a lawful subpoena in a judicial or administrative proceeding; to the applicant or a representative authorized in writing; to the comptroller or its employees authorized in writing, or to an assessor or chief appraiser on a written request; in a property-tax proceeding involving the applicant; and to the extent the information must appear in a public document or record the district is legally required to prepare or maintain. Thus “confidential” does not mean no one may ever receive it. Existing disclosure exceptions and enforcement, 11.48(b); Final law.

The section’s existing enforcement provision also remains. A person who lawfully has access to the application or lawfully obtains its protected information commits a Class B misdemeanor if the person knowingly permits unauthorized inspection or disclosure as described in 11.48(c). SB2068 expands the information covered by the section; it does not create a separate new penalty level or make every accidental disclosure automatically criminal. Existing disclosure exceptions and enforcement, 11.48(c)–(d); Final law.

Changes during passage: The introduced bill already contained the four child-information categories. The Senate committee substitute made drafting and punctuation corrections and narrowed the caption to this confidentiality subject; it did not add a separate property-tax protest or appeal reform. The Senate-passed, House-committee and enrolled operative texts match the substitute. The amendment index lists none. Introduced; Senate substitute; Senate-passed; House committee; Final law; Version index; Amendment index.

Compare the published text versions in the official text index. A change is not attributed to a specific amendment here without a verified record.

Children and families gain added protection against routine public disclosure of the listed details in exemption applications. Appraisal districts and others with lawful access must apply that protection while honoring the remaining exceptions. The act does not guarantee that the information is unavailable from other lawful sources or establish a measured reduction in identity theft. Final law; Existing disclosure exceptions and enforcement.

The April 29 engrossed fiscal note anticipates no state fiscal impact and no significant local-government fiscal impact. The April 5 introduced and April 10 substitute notes reach the same conclusion. These estimates do not mean records handling requires no work; the bill creates no new appropriation or quantified private benefit. Engrossed fiscal note; Introduced note; Substitute note.