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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to investigations of certain cybercrimes. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Subtitle B, Title 4, Government Code, is amended |
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| 12 | 12 | | by adding Chapter 426 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | CHAPTER 426. CYBERCRIMES |
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| 14 | 14 | | Sec. 426.001. DEFINITION. In this chapter, "cybercrime" |
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| 15 | 15 | | means an offense: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) under Chapter 31, 32, 33, 33A, 34, 35, 42, 71, 72, |
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| 17 | 17 | | or 76, Penal Code; and |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) that is committed using an Internet website or an |
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| 19 | 19 | | electronic service account provided through an electronic |
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| 20 | 20 | | communication service or remote computing service. |
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| 21 | 21 | | Sec. 426.002. ADMINISTRATIVE SUBPOENA. (a) A prosecuting |
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| 22 | 22 | | attorney may issue and cause to be served an administrative |
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| 23 | 23 | | subpoena that requires the production of records or other |
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| 24 | 24 | | documentation as described by Subsection (c) if: |
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| 25 | 25 | | (1) the subpoena relates to an investigation of a |
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| 26 | 26 | | cybercrime; and |
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| 27 | 27 | | (2) there is reasonable cause to believe that the |
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| 28 | 28 | | Internet or electronic service account provided through an |
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| 29 | 29 | | electronic communication service or remote computing service has |
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| 30 | 30 | | been used in the commission of a cybercrime. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (b) A subpoena under Subsection (a) must: |
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| 32 | 32 | | (1) describe any objects or items to be produced; and |
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| 33 | 33 | | (2) prescribe a reasonable return date by which those |
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| 34 | 34 | | objects or items must be assembled and made available. |
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| 35 | 35 | | (c) Except as provided by Subsection (d), a subpoena issued |
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| 36 | 36 | | under Subsection (a) may require the production of any records or |
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| 37 | 37 | | other documentation relevant to the investigation, including: |
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| 38 | 38 | | (1) a name; |
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| 39 | 39 | | (2) an address; |
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| 40 | 40 | | (3) a local or long distance telephone connection |
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| 41 | 41 | | record, satellite-based Internet service provider connection |
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| 42 | 42 | | record, or record of session time and duration; |
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| 43 | 43 | | (4) the duration of the applicable service, including |
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| 44 | 44 | | the start date for the service and the type of service used; |
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| 45 | 45 | | (5) a telephone or instrument number or other number |
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| 46 | 46 | | used to identify a subscriber, including a temporarily assigned |
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| 47 | 47 | | network address; and |
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| 48 | 48 | | (6) the source of payment for the service, including a |
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| 49 | 49 | | credit card or bank account number. |
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| 50 | 50 | | (d) A provider of an electronic communication service or |
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| 51 | 51 | | remote computing service may not disclose the following information |
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| 52 | 52 | | in response to a subpoena issued under Subsection (a): |
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| 53 | 53 | | (1) an in-transit electronic communication; |
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| 54 | 54 | | (2) an account membership related to an Internet |
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| 55 | 55 | | group, newsgroup, mailing list, or specific area of interest; |
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| 56 | 56 | | (3) an account password; or |
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| 57 | 57 | | (4) any account content, including: |
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| 58 | 58 | | (A) any form of electronic mail; |
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| 59 | 59 | | (B) an address book, contact list, or buddy list; |
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| 60 | 60 | | or |
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| 61 | 61 | | (C) Internet proxy content or Internet history. |
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| 62 | 62 | | (e) A provider of an electronic communication service or |
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| 63 | 63 | | remote computing service shall disclose the information described |
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| 64 | 64 | | by Subsection (d) if that disclosure is required by court order. |
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| 65 | 65 | | (f) A person authorized to serve process under the Texas |
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| 66 | 66 | | Rules of Civil Procedure may serve a subpoena issued under |
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| 67 | 67 | | Subsection (a). The person shall serve the subpoena in accordance |
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| 68 | 68 | | with the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. |
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| 69 | 69 | | (g) Before the return date specified on a subpoena issued |
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| 70 | 70 | | under Subsection (a), the person receiving the subpoena may, in an |
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| 71 | 71 | | appropriate court located in the county where the subpoena was |
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| 72 | 72 | | issued, petition for an order to modify or quash the subpoena or to |
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| 73 | 73 | | prohibit disclosure of applicable information by a court. |
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| 74 | 74 | | (h) If a criminal case or proceeding does not result from |
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| 75 | 75 | | the production of records or other documentation under this section |
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| 76 | 76 | | within a reasonable period, the prosecuting attorney shall, as |
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| 77 | 77 | | appropriate: |
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| 78 | 78 | | (1) destroy the records or documentation; or |
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| 79 | 79 | | (2) return the records or documentation to the person |
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| 80 | 80 | | who produced the records or documentation. |
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| 81 | 81 | | Sec. 426.003. CONFIDENTIALITY OF INFORMATION. Any |
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| 82 | 82 | | information, records, or data reported or obtained under a subpoena |
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| 83 | 83 | | issued under Section 426.002(a): |
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| 84 | 84 | | (1) is confidential; and |
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| 85 | 85 | | (2) may not be disclosed to any other person unless the |
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| 86 | 86 | | disclosure is made as part of a criminal case related to those |
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| 87 | 87 | | materials. |
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| 88 | 88 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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