Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1077 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	By: Paxton S.B. No. 1077
2	2
3	3
4	4	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
5	5	AN ACT
6	6	relating to the establishment of the digital identity work group.
7	7	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
8	8	SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS. In this Act:
9	9	(1) "Digital identity" includes:
10	10	(A) credentials issued by federal, state, and
11	11	local governmental agencies to a person for identification,
12	12	licensure, registration, and other purposes;
13	13	(B) credentials conferred to a person to verify
14	14	the person's skills and qualifications;
15	15	(C) digital credentials issued for user
16	16	authentication and access management; and
17	17	(D) digitally-verifiable claims.
18	18	(2) "Work group" means the digital identity work group
19	19	established under this Act.
20	20	SECTION 2. INFORMATION FOR LEGISLATIVE PURPOSES. (a) Many
21	21	credentials issued by governmental agencies, including passports,
22	22	driver's licenses, business licenses, vehicle registrations, and
23	23	certificates, are physical or portable document format documents.
24	24	The use of physical credentials for validation can be slow,
25	25	inconvenient, costly, and prone to intentional or unintentional
26	26	human error. Physical credentials are susceptible to
27	27	counterfeiting or fraud.
28	28	(b) Credentials are used for validating identity, including
29	29	to:
30	30	(1) verify age for age restriction purposes;
31	31	(2) notarize signatures on documents;
32	32	(3) verify tax exemptions;
33	33	(4) prove registration or insurance coverage;
34	34	(5) prove a license or permit has been issued and is
35	35	current; and
36	36	(6) prove inspections have been performed and passed.
37	37	(c) The use of credentials for validation presents an
38	38	opportunity to:
39	39	(1) digitize and secure credentials using technology,
40	40	including blockchain and cryptography; and
41	41	(2) lower costs and improve privacy, security, and
42	42	convenience for governmental agencies, industry, and consumers.
43	43	SECTION 3. ESTABLISHMENT AND COMPOSITION OF WORK GROUP.
44	44	(a) The digital identity work group is composed of the following 15
45	45	members:
46	46	(1) one member of the house of representatives,
47	47	appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;
48	48	(2) one member of the senate, appointed by the
49	49	lieutenant governor;
50	50	(3) one member representing institutions of higher
51	51	education in this state, appointed by the governor;
52	52	(4) one member representing a municipality in this
53	53	state who has overseen the implementation of digital identity
54	54	initiatives, appointed by the presiding officer of the work group;
55	55	(5) one member representing the Department of Public
56	56	Safety of the State of Texas, appointed by the public safety
57	57	director;
58	58	(6) one member representing the Department of
59	59	Information Resources, appointed by the executive director of the
60	60	department;
61	61	(7) one member representing the office of the
62	62	secretary of state, appointed by the secretary of state; and
63	63	(8) eight public members, four of whom are appointed
64	64	by the speaker of the house of representatives and four of whom are
65	65	appointed by the lieutenant governor, each of whom must:
66	66	(A) have knowledge and experience in digital
67	67	identity technology, including blockchain technology and
68	68	cryptography; or
69	69	(B) represent an industry that would benefit from
70	70	the use of digital identity technology.
71	71	(b) The governor shall designate a member of the work group
72	72	appointed under Subsection (a)(3) or (8) of this section to serve as
73	73	presiding officer of the work group. The members of the work group
74	74	appointed under Subsections (a)(1) and (2) of this section shall
75	75	both serve as assistant presiding officers of the work group.
76	76	(c) A member of the work group may not receive compensation
77	77	for serving on the work group or for performing official duties as a
78	78	member of the work group. A member of the work group may receive
79	79	reimbursement for legitimate expenses incurred by the member in the
80	80	performance of official duties as a member of the work group.
81	81	(d) The work group shall meet at the call of the presiding
82	82	officer.
83	83	SECTION 4. REPORT, POLICIES, AND PROCEDURES. (a) The work
84	84	group shall develop recommendations for the use of digital identity
85	85	in this state and identify optimal policies and state investments
86	86	related to digital identity technology. In performing its duties
87	87	under this section, the work group shall:
88	88	(1) assess existing digital identity practices in this
89	89	state;
90	90	(2) identify areas of concern in current digital
91	91	identity applications or the lack of applications;
92	92	(3) identify efficiencies and cost savings for
93	93	governmental agencies and economic growth and development
94	94	opportunities for this state presented by digitizing identity;
95	95	(4) review technology standards for digital identity;
96	96	(5) identify attribute validation services at federal
97	97	governmental agencies; and
98	98	(6) review the federal Improving Digital Identity Act
99	99	of 2020 (H.R. 8215).
100	100	(b) Based on the information gathered under Subsection (a)
101	101	of this section, the work group shall make legislative
102	102	recommendations as appropriate to:
103	103	(1) promote efficiencies in governmental agencies;
104	104	(2) protect the privacy of residents of this state;
105	105	(3) promote portability and interoperability of
106	106	digital identity credentials; and
107	107	(4) generate economic opportunities by prescribing
108	108	the use of digital identity.
109	109	(c) Not later than September 30, 2022, the work group shall
110	110	submit the report containing its findings under Subsection (b) of
111	111	this section to each standing committee of the senate and house of
112	112	representatives with primary jurisdiction over economic
113	113	development or technology.
114	114	(d) The work group may adopt procedures and policies as
115	115	necessary to administer this section and implement the
116	116	responsibilities of the work group.
117	117	SECTION 5. EXPIRATION OF ACT AND ABOLISHMENT OF WORK GROUP.
118	118	This Act expires and the work group is abolished October 1, 2022.
119	119	SECTION 6. TRANSITION LANGUAGE. (a) As soon as practicable
120	120	after the effective date of this Act, but not later than September
121	121	15, 2021, the appropriate appointing authorities shall appoint the
122	122	members of the work group as required by Section 3 of this Act.
123	123	(b) Not later than January 1, 2022, the work group shall
124	124	hold its initial meeting.
125	125	SECTION 7. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect September
126	126	1, 2021.