Technology-Related Legislation Summary – 82nd Texas Legislature

Untitled Document

Printed Version – PDF (91 KB) | About file formats.

Background

The Texas Legislature passed bills relating to technology into law during the 82nd Legislative Session (2011). The Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR), through its mission to provide statewide technology leadership and oversight, tracked legislation for technology impact. Once legislation becomes law, it is codified as a statute. Statutes may be located and viewed at Texas Statutes.

Purpose

The Technology-Related Legislation Summary compiles a list of bills that have a technology impact on the State of Texas, some with directives specific to DIR and some with broad implications to the state in general.

Scope

The Technology-Related Legislation Summary includes bills passed into law only (i.e., excludes vetoed bills). All bills passed during the 82nd Legislative Regular Session—82(R)-2011—except for Senate Bill 1, which passed in the First Special Session—82(1)-2011.

Key Components

Bill # – Identifies the number of the house or senate bill—HB or SB. Follow link to view the enrolled bill text.
Description – Provides a short summary of legislative directives as stated in the enrolled bill text.
Effective Date – Identifies the date the bill, as passed into law, goes into effect, as identified by Texas Legislature Online.

Bill #	Summary	Effective
HB 266	If a state agency contracts with a provider for bulk mail services, the provider must use address-matching software that meets or exceeds certification standards under the Codiing Accuracy Support System or subsequent standards adopted by the United States Postal Service (USPS); requires the Texas Department of Transportation to use that software in a system to match the addresses of driver's license holders with USPS delivery addresses.	Sept. 1, 2011
HB 326	Requires each agency going through Sunset review to evaluate whether there is a continuing need for statutory reports the agency is required to prepare.	Immediately
HB 328	Changes a statutory reference to a listing of links relating to licenses and permits as issued by the Comptroller from www.Texasonline to www.Texas.gov.	Sept. 1, 2011
HB 726	Requires agencies to issue electronic, instead of written, notice of the availability of publications.	Immediately
HB 1147	Requires a governmental entity to provide a notice, in the form specified in the bill, on certain geospatial data products produced or hosted by the governmental entity.	Sept. 1, 2011
HB 1495	Exempts public junior colleges from Texas Government Code, Chapter 2054, Information Resources Management Act, except for the electronic government project under Subchapter I (state electronic Internet portal, Texas.gov) and except for Section 2054.119, which requires agencies, including junior colleges, to use private sector services if those services would be less costly than entering into an interagency agreement to secure those services.	Immediately
HB 1504	Changes statutory references from “TexasOnline” to “state electronic Internet portal.”	Immediately
HB 1861	Authorizes the Commission on State Emergency Communications to develop, implement and manage an interconnected, state-level emergency services Internet Protocol (IP) network.	Immediately
HB 2460	Records of individual members of a public retirement system and retirees of the system are confidential but may be released to specific authorized parties that are named in the bill.	Immediately
HB 2866	Authorizes the Office of the Attorney General to charge and collect administrative fees for the electronic submission of a request, notice, or other document.	Immediately
HB 3333	Authorizes the governor to order DIR to disconnect an agency’s network from the Internet if there is an external threat to the network.	Sept. 1, 2011
HB 3395	Authorizes, but does not require, DIR to publish the state telephone directories only online; revises the state purchasing preference for recycled products to apply only if the price of the recycled product is not more than ten percent higher than the non-recycled product.	Immediately
HB 3396	Sets criminal penalties for accessing a computer, computer network or computer system owned by the government or a critical infrastructure facility without the owner’s consent	Sept 1, 2011
SB 1 82(1)-2011	Extends DIR for two years through September 1, 2013; requires the DIR board by rule to establish approval requirements for all contracts; exempts the Department of Agriculture from participation in the state data center services program; addresses the handling of fee revenue; provides that DIR may consider strategic sourcing in selecting vendors in the ICT cooperative contracts program.	Sept. 28, 2011
SB 375	Specifies many types of government information that are considered public unless expressly labeled as confidential; states that a court cannot rule that the information is confidential beyond this statute.	Sept. 1, 2011
SB 602	Allows governmental bodies to redact personal information without requesting an attorney general's opinion.	Sept. 1, 2011
SB 653	Requires DIR to provide assistance on technology issues as requested by the Texas Youth Commission and the Juvenile Probation Commission as they merge into the Texas Juvenile Justice Commission.	Sept. 1, 2011
SB 660	Eliminates the Texas Geographic Information Council which had been co-chaired by DIR; requires the Texas Water Development Board to recommend to DIR to adopt and promote standards that facilitate the sharing of digital natural resource data and related socioeconomic data; authorizes an advisory committee to develop those recommendations which may include DIR.	Sept. 1, 2011
SB 701	Requires that state agencies post “high-value data sets,” as defined in the bill, in an open format on a website maintained by or for the agency if there is no cost to such posting or the agency receives a gift or grant to post the information; the bill has certain requirements regarding where on the agency’s website the information must be posted.	Sept. 1, 2011
SB 773	Extends telecommunications service discount for educational institutions, hospitals, libraries, and health centers from Jan. 1, 2012 to Jan. 1, 2016.	Sept. 1, 2011
SB 781	Repeals Texas Government Code, Chapter 2059, Section 2059.060, which requires vulnerability testing of network hardware and software purchased by state agencies.	Immediately
SB 988	Creates the Cybersecurity, Education and Economic Development Council, appointed by the DIR Executive Director, to make recommendations to DIR and the legislative leadership on improvements to DIR’s cybersecurity operations.	Sept. 1, 2011
SB 1048	Establishes a system for public-private partnerships for many types of projects; technology infrastructure is included if it is part of a qualifying project. Telecommunications services and broadband infrastructure are specifically excluded unless part of a qualifying project; notice of proposed public-private projects must be placed on Texas.gov; the bill also creates a Partnership Advisory Commission of legislators and others to oversee these projects.	Sept. 1, 2011
SB 1179	Eliminates several reports produced by state agencies and higher education, including DIR's annual report on funds received and disbursed in the previous fiscal year.	Immediately
SB 1638	Allows a government employee to keep the person's emergency contact information confidential from public access.	Immediately
SB 1692	Requires the Comptroller to provide a link on its website to the websites of each municipality and county that provides its budget information online as required by HB 2338 for “Truth in Taxation Summary.”	Sept. 1, 2011