By: Hagenbuch S.B. No. 1598
(In the Senate - Filed February 24, 2025; March 10, 2025,
read first time and referred to Committee on Transportation;
April 2, 2025, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 8,
Nays 0; April 2, 2025, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the release of motor vehicle collision report
information.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 550.065, Transportation Code, is amended
by amending Subsections (b), (c), and (f) and adding Subsection
(e-1) to read as follows:
(b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), (c-1), or (e), the
information is privileged and for the confidential use of:
(1) the department; and
(2) an agency of the United States, this state, or a
local government of this state that has use for the information for
[collision prevention] purposes of collision prevention or a
criminal investigation conducted by a law enforcement agency.
(c) On written request and payment of any required fee, the
department or the governmental entity shall release the information
to:
(1) an entity described by Subsection (b);
(2) the law enforcement agency that employs the peace
officer who investigated the collision and sent the information to
the department, including a person acting on behalf [an agent] of
the law enforcement agency who is authorized by contract to obtain
the information;
(3) the court in which a case involving a person
involved in the collision is pending if the report is subpoenaed; or
(4) any person directly concerned in the collision or
having a proper interest therein, including:
(A) any person involved in the collision;
(B) the authorized representative of any person
involved in the collision;
(C) a driver involved in the collision;
(D) an employer, parent, or legal guardian of a
driver involved in the collision;
(E) the owner of a vehicle or property damaged in
the collision;
(F) a person who has established financial
responsibility for a vehicle involved in the collision in a manner
described by Section 601.051, including a policyholder of a motor
vehicle liability insurance policy covering the vehicle;
(G) an insurance company that issued an insurance
policy covering a vehicle involved in the collision;
(H) an insurance company that issued a policy
covering any person involved in the collision;
(I) a person under contract to provide claims or
underwriting information to a person described by Paragraph (F),
(G), or (H);
(J) a radio or television station that holds a
license issued by the Federal Communications Commission;
(K) a newspaper that is:
(i) a free newspaper of general circulation
or qualified under Section 2051.044, Government Code, to publish
legal notices;
(ii) published at least once a week; and
(iii) available and of interest to the
general public in connection with the dissemination of news;
(L) any person who may sue because of death
resulting from the collision; or
(M) an employee or authorized representative of a
vehicle storage facility, as defined by Section 2303.002,
Occupations Code, that stored a vehicle involved in the collision
[accident].
(e-1) In addition to the information required to be released
under Subsection (c), the governmental entity may release a vehicle
identification number and specific collision information relating
to that vehicle to a person described by Subsection (c)(2).
(f) The department or the governmental entity when
releasing information under Subsection (c-1), [or] (e), or (e-1):
(1) may not release personal information, as defined
by Section 730.003; and
(2) shall withhold or redact the following items:
(A) the first, middle, and last name of any
person listed in a collision report, including a vehicle driver,
occupant, owner, or lessee, a bicyclist, a pedestrian, or a
property owner;
(B) the number of any driver's license,
commercial driver's license, or personal identification
certificate issued to any person listed in a collision report;
(C) the date of birth, other than the year, of any
person listed in a collision report;
(D) the address, other than zip code, and
telephone number of any person listed in a collision report;
(E) the license plate number of any vehicle
listed in a collision report;
(F) the name of any insurance company listed as a
provider of financial responsibility for a vehicle listed in a
collision report;
(G) the number of any insurance policy issued by
an insurance company listed as a provider of financial
responsibility;
(H) the date the peace officer who investigated
the collision was notified of the collision;
(I) the date the investigating peace officer
arrived at the collision site;
(J) the badge number or identification number of
the investigating officer;
(K) the date on which any person who died as a
result of the collision died;
(L) the date of any commercial motor vehicle
report; and
(M) the place where any person injured or killed
in a collision was taken and the person or entity that provided the
transportation.
SECTION 2. To the extent of any conflict, this Act prevails
over another Act of the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025,
relating to nonsubstantive additions to and corrections in enacted
codes.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.
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