Emergency Call Information: Joint Interim Committee To Study Has Been Appointed
On Thursday, April 5, 2018 the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives appointed the House members to serve on the Joint Interim Committee on the Disclosure of Emergency Call Information. I am pleased to announce that the Speaker has given me the honor of serving as Co-Chair of this important committee.
South Texas Senator, Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa was chosen by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to serve as Co-Chair along with myself. A total of ten members make up this distinguished panel. They include Senators Campbell, Hall, Huffines and Rodriguez, and Representatives Bailes, Holland, Hinojosa and Johnson.
As many of you are aware, the Texas Legislature is not currently in session. The Texas Legislature constitutionally meets for 140 days every odd numbered year, which makes the next official session for the Texas Legislature to begin in January of 2019. It is important to note, however, that this does not mean that the Texas Legislature stops working. In fact, the period in between sessions, often referred to as the interim, is when the Texas Legislature identifies and studies the important issues facing the State of Texas in preparation for the next legislative session. This is one of the reasons I filed and passed House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 140. HCR 140 requested that the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Lieutenant Governor create a joint interim committee to study the process, rules, handling, and processing of recordings and transcripts of emergency calls made to public safety agencies in this state. The joint interim committee is a committee composed of Texas House and Texas Senate members.
The disclosure of emergency call information is important in the context of open government– something I have worked on for many years. It is important to remember that while having an open and transparent government is essential, we should also be respectful of families privacy as they go through a potentially traumatic time in their lives. HCR 140 seeks to strike the right balance between the principle of open government and how it can coexist with respect for the privacy of families grieving from the loss of a loved one .
If you would like to read the resolution, you can visit Texas Legislature online and search for HCR 140 in the bill search box. Additionally, if you are interested in this issue, and would like to stay informed on all committee hearings, more information will be posted on the House of Representatives as well as the Texas Senate. I highly encourage you to follow the joint interim committee as it gets underway. Both of these websites will feature live streaming of the committee hearings, as well as access to a number of other resources.
If you have questions regarding any of the information in this article, please do not hesitate to call my Capitol or District Office. As always, my offices are available at any time to assist with questions, concerns or comments (Capitol Office, 512-463-0672; District Office, 361-949-4603).
State Representative Todd Hunter, District 32
Rep. Hunter represents Nueces (Part) County. He can be contacted at todd.hunter@house.texas.gov or at 512-463-0672.
