Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1598 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		By: Hagenbuch S.B. No. 1598
2		-
3		-
	2	+	(In the Senate - Filed February 24, 2025; March 10, 2025,
	3	+	read first time and referred to Committee on Transportation;
	4	+	April 2, 2025, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 8,
	5	+	Nays 0; April 2, 2025, sent to printer.)
	6	+	Click here to see the committee vote
4	7
5	8
6	9		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
7	10		AN ACT
8	11		relating to the release of motor vehicle collision report
9	12		information.
10	13		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	14		SECTION 1. Section 550.065, Transportation Code, is amended
12	15		by amending Subsections (b), (c), and (f) and adding Subsection
13	16		(e-1) to read as follows:
14	17		(b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), (c-1), or (e), the
15	18		information is privileged and for the confidential use of:
16	19		(1) the department; and
17	20		(2) an agency of the United States, this state, or a
18	21		local government of this state that has use for the information for
19	22		[collision prevention] purposes of collision prevention or a
20	23		criminal investigation conducted by a law enforcement agency.
21	24		(c) On written request and payment of any required fee, the
22	25		department or the governmental entity shall release the information
23	26		to:
24	27		(1) an entity described by Subsection (b);
25	28		(2) the law enforcement agency that employs the peace
26	29		officer who investigated the collision and sent the information to
27	30		the department, including a person acting on behalf [an agent] of
28	31		the law enforcement agency who is authorized by contract to obtain
29	32		the information;
30	33		(3) the court in which a case involving a person
31	34		involved in the collision is pending if the report is subpoenaed; or
32	35		(4) any person directly concerned in the collision or
33	36		having a proper interest therein, including:
34	37		(A) any person involved in the collision;
35	38		(B) the authorized representative of any person
36	39		involved in the collision;
37	40		(C) a driver involved in the collision;
38	41		(D) an employer, parent, or legal guardian of a
39	42		driver involved in the collision;
40	43		(E) the owner of a vehicle or property damaged in
41	44		the collision;
42	45		(F) a person who has established financial
43	46		responsibility for a vehicle involved in the collision in a manner
44	47		described by Section 601.051, including a policyholder of a motor
45	48		vehicle liability insurance policy covering the vehicle;
46	49		(G) an insurance company that issued an insurance
47	50		policy covering a vehicle involved in the collision;
48	51		(H) an insurance company that issued a policy
49	52		covering any person involved in the collision;
50	53		(I) a person under contract to provide claims or
51	54		underwriting information to a person described by Paragraph (F),
52	55		(G), or (H);
53	56		(J) a radio or television station that holds a
54	57		license issued by the Federal Communications Commission;
55	58		(K) a newspaper that is:
56	59		(i) a free newspaper of general circulation
57	60		or qualified under Section 2051.044, Government Code, to publish
58	61		legal notices;
59	62		(ii) published at least once a week; and
60	63		(iii) available and of interest to the
61	64		general public in connection with the dissemination of news;
62	65		(L) any person who may sue because of death
63	66		resulting from the collision; or
64	67		(M) an employee or authorized representative of a
65	68		vehicle storage facility, as defined by Section 2303.002,
66	69		Occupations Code, that stored a vehicle involved in the collision
67	70		[accident].
68	71		(e-1) In addition to the information required to be released
69	72		under Subsection (c), the governmental entity may release a vehicle
70	73		identification number and specific collision information relating
71	74		to that vehicle to a person described by Subsection (c)(2).
72	75		(f) The department or the governmental entity when
73	76		releasing information under Subsection (c-1), [or] (e), or (e-1):
74	77		(1) may not release personal information, as defined
75	78		by Section 730.003; and
76	79		(2) shall withhold or redact the following items:
77	80		(A) the first, middle, and last name of any
78	81		person listed in a collision report, including a vehicle driver,
79	82		occupant, owner, or lessee, a bicyclist, a pedestrian, or a
80	83		property owner;
81	84		(B) the number of any driver's license,
82	85		commercial driver's license, or personal identification
83	86		certificate issued to any person listed in a collision report;
84	87		(C) the date of birth, other than the year, of any
85	88		person listed in a collision report;
86	89		(D) the address, other than zip code, and
87	90		telephone number of any person listed in a collision report;
88	91		(E) the license plate number of any vehicle
89	92		listed in a collision report;
90	93		(F) the name of any insurance company listed as a
91	94		provider of financial responsibility for a vehicle listed in a
92	95		collision report;
93	96		(G) the number of any insurance policy issued by
94	97		an insurance company listed as a provider of financial
95	98		responsibility;
96	99		(H) the date the peace officer who investigated
97	100		the collision was notified of the collision;
98	101		(I) the date the investigating peace officer
99	102		arrived at the collision site;
100	103		(J) the badge number or identification number of
101	104		the investigating officer;
102	105		(K) the date on which any person who died as a
103	106		result of the collision died;
104	107		(L) the date of any commercial motor vehicle
105	108		report; and
106	109		(M) the place where any person injured or killed
107	110		in a collision was taken and the person or entity that provided the
108	111		transportation.
109	112		SECTION 2. To the extent of any conflict, this Act prevails
110	113		over another Act of the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025,
111	114		relating to nonsubstantive additions to and corrections in enacted
112	115		codes.
113	116		SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.
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