87R5874 ANG-D
By: Walle H.B. No. 1930
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to landlord and tenant dispute information reported by
justice courts to the Office of Court Administration of the Texas
Judicial System and made accessible to the public.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 71, Government Code, is
amended by adding Section 71.0354 to read as follows:
Sec. 71.0354. LANDLORD AND TENANT DISPUTE INFORMATION:
JUSTICE COURTS. As a component of the official monthly report
submitted to the Office of Court Administration of the Texas
Judicial System, a justice court shall report by category each case
filed in the court involving a dispute between a landlord and tenant
under Chapter 24, Property Code, or Title 8, Property Code,
including:
(1) forcible entry and detainer suits;
(2) suits involving the disconnection of utilities;
(3) repair and remedy suits;
(4) suits involving security deposits;
(5) suits involving the provision of security and
safety devices; and
(6) any other category of suit involving a landlord or
tenant brought under Title 8, Property Code, and designated by the
office.
SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 72, Government Code, is
amended by adding Section 72.038 to read as follows:
Sec. 72.038. LANDLORD AND TENANT DISPUTE DATABASE. (a) The
office shall establish and maintain an electronic database that
contains information on cases filed in justice courts related to
landlord and tenant disputes. The database must contain for each
case:
(1) the justice court in which the case is filed,
including the precinct, municipality, and county in which the court
is located;
(2) if publicly available:
(A) the street name, municipality, and zip code
of the defendant's residence;
(B) the street name, municipality, and zip code
of the plaintiff's residence;
(C) the tenant's address, excluding the
apartment number for a tenant who lives in a multifamily apartment
complex; and
(D) the defendant's demographic information,
including race and ethnicity;
(3) any legal counsel representing the defendant;
(4) the date of the hearing;
(5) the disposition of the case;
(6) the date judgment is issued; and
(7) the judgment amount.
(b) The office shall make the information required by
Subsection (a) available in an electronic spreadsheet format that
is easily downloaded from the office's publicly accessible Internet
website and is searchable by date and jurisdiction.
SECTION 3. (a) As soon as practicable after the effective
date of this Act, the Office of Court Administration of the Texas
Judicial System shall:
(1) prescribe the categories of landlord and tenant
suits a justice court is required to report under Section 71.0354,
Government Code, as added by this Act, and the procedures for
reporting under that section; and
(2) establish the landlord and tenant dispute database
as required by Section 72.038, Government Code, as added by this
Act.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 71.0354, Government Code, as
added by this Act, a justice court is not required to report
landlord and tenant dispute information under that section until
after the Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial
System establishes the categories and procedures for reporting
under that section.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.