Texas House bill by Rep. Thompson mandates confidentiality for protective order applicants

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Senfronia Thompson aims to ensure courts maintain confidentiality of personal details for protective order applicants, seeking to protect sensitive information from public disclosure, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the House, 52 Democrats and 82 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, with no opposition.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 11 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor, also with no opposing votes.

Senfronia Thompson introduced the bill in the Texas House on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, ahead of the official start of the 89th regular legislative session on Jan. 14, 2025.

Thompson graduated from Texas Southern University with a BS and again from Thurgood Marshall School of Law with a JD.

Thompson, a Democrat, was elected to the Texas State House in 1983 to represent the state’s 141st House district, replacing previous state representative Gib Lewis.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to the confidentiality of certain personal information of an applicant for or a person protected by a protective order’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill mandates courts to protect and maintain the confidentiality of certain personal information for applicants of protective orders, specifically concerning mailing addresses and counties of residence. It requires courts to exclude this information from public records and from protective orders upon request by impacted individuals or their family members. Additionally, during hearings, individuals must be informed of their right to confidentiality regarding their address and telephone numbers. The bill also provides for confidentiality in any changes to contact information filed with the court. The bill is applicable to new and pending applications effective from Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill was co-authored by Rep. Penny Morales Shaw (Democrat – District 148).

The bill received its final legislative approval on Wednesday, May 21, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday, June 20.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.