This section lets eligible people and entities obtain certain criminal history record information from the FBI or other criminal justice agencies, and it limits that access in some cases.
Sec. 411.087. ACCESS TO CRIMINAL HISTORY RECORD INFORMATION MAINTAINED BY FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION OR LOCAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCY. (a) Unless otherwise authorized by Subsection (e), a person, agency, department, political subdivision, or other entity that is authorized by this subchapter or Subchapter E-1 to obtain from the department criminal history record information maintained by the department that relates to another person is authorized to: (1) obtain through the Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history record information maintained or indexed by that bureau that pertains to that person; or (2) obtain from any other criminal justice agency in this state criminal history record information maintained by that criminal justice agency that relates to that person. (b) Any restriction or limitation in this subchapter or Subchapter E-1 on criminal history record information that a person, agency, department, political subdivision, or other entity is entitled to obtain from the department applies equally to the criminal history record information that the person, agency, department, political subdivision, or other entity is entitled to obtain from the identification division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation or other criminal justice agency. (c) Subsection (a) does not authorize a person, agency, department, political subdivision, or other entity to obtain criminal history record information from the identification division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation if dissemination of criminal history record information by the division is prohibited by federal law, executive order, or rule. (d) A person, agency, department, political subdivision, or other entity that is not a criminal justice agency is entitled to obtain criminal history record information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation only if: (1) the requestor submits a complete set of the individual's fingerprints and other identifying information and pays any fee required or approved by the bureau; (2) no disqualifying record or information from a state or local criminal justice agency is known to the requestor; and (3) the request is not for the purpose of discriminating against a person because of the person's race, sex, age, disability, religion, color, or national origin. (e) The department may provide access to state and national criminal history record information to a qualified entity entitled to that information regarding the entity's employees and contractors under the National Child Protection Act of 1993 (34 U.S.C. Section 40102). The department must follow federal law and regulation, federal executive orders, and federal policy in releasing information under this subsection. (f) Notwithstanding any other law, a person, agency, department, political subdivision, or other entity entitled to access the criminal history record information of a person under Subsection (e) is not required to collect or submit the person's fingerprints if: (1) a complete set of the person's fingerprints was previously submitted under Subsection (d)(1); (2) the department retained the fingerprints; (3) the fingerprints are acceptable to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for access to criminal history record information; and (4) the only purpose for which the person's fingerprints are collected is to access criminal history record information under Subsection (e). Added by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 790, Sec. 35, eff. Sept. 1, 1993. Amended by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 248, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1995. Amended by: Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1372 (S.B. 9), Sec. 19, eff. June 15, 2007. Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1082 (S.B. 1178), Sec. 12, eff. September 1, 2011. Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1279 (S.B. 1902), Sec. 24, eff. September 1, 2015. Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1155 (S.B. 2587), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2025.