The office must maintain a public registry for protective orders and let the public search and get certain accessible information free of charge, but only within the limits stated in the section.
Sec. 72.154. PUBLIC ACCESS TO PROTECTIVE ORDER REGISTRY. (a) Subject to Subsections (c) and (d) and Section 72.158, the office shall establish and maintain the registry in a manner that allows a member of the public, free of charge, to electronically search for and receive publicly accessible information contained in the registry regarding each protective order issued in this state. The registry must be searchable by: (1) the county of issuance; (2) the name of a person who is the subject of the protective order; (3) any known common misspellings of the name of a person who is the subject of the protective order; (4) any known aliases of a person who is the subject of the protective order; and (5) the birth year of a person who is the subject of the protective order. (b) Publicly accessible information regarding each protective order must consist of the following: (1) the court that issued the protective order; (2) the case number; (3) the full name, county of residence, birth year, and race or ethnicity of the person who is the subject of the protective order; (4) the dates the protective order was issued and served; and (5) the date the protective order expired or will expire, as applicable. (c) A member of the public may only access the information in the registry described by Subsection (b). (d) The office may not allow a member of the public to access through the registry any information related to: (1) a protective order issued under Article 7B.002 or 17.292, Code of Criminal Procedure, or Chapter 83, Family Code; or (2) a protective order that was vacated. Added by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 16 (S.B. 325), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2019. Amended by: Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 934 (H.B. 3774), Sec. 13.03, eff. September 1, 2021. Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 612 (H.B. 3698), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2023.