HB 5202 creates a database of anyone with two or more convictions on charges, including a finding of family violence. The bill was signed on June 11, 2023, and is effective immediately; however, it may take some time to be implemented.

The text can be found here. The following summary is from the Texas Legislature:

AUTHOR’S / SPONSOR’S STATEMENT OF INTENT

According to Texas Advocacy Project’s 2021 Annual Report, at least one in three Texans will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. Intimate partner violence also poses a serious risk for Texans. Intimate partner violence is abuse or aggression that occurs in romantic relationships. According to an analysis conducted by the Texas Council on Family Violence, 204 Texans were murdered by their intimate partners in 2021.

It is essential for the state to address the increasingly high rates of intimate partner violence.

H.B. 5202 will require the Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas (DPS) to maintain a central database of offenders who have committed certain violence offenses, including offenses for which an affirmative finding of family violence was made, and requires DPS to respond to database related public information requests.

Specifically, the computerized central database will contain information regarding offenders who on two or more occasions, have been convicted of any of the following offenses:

1) Assault, sexual assault, aggravated assault, or aggravated sexual assault for which an affirmative finding of family violence was made;

2) continuous violence against the family or stalking; or

3) any combination of such offenses.

The database must contain the following information to the extent it is available to DPS:

1) the person’s full name, each alias used by the person, and the person’s date of birth;

2) a physical description and a recent photograph of the person;

3) a list of the applicable offenses of which the person was convicted, the date of conviction of each offense, and the punishment prescribed for each offense; and

4) an indication as to whether the person was discharged, placed on community supervision, or released on parole or to mandatory supervision following conviction of each offense.

Any information contained in the database is public information except for any information regarding the person’s social security number, driver’s license number, or telephone number or that would identify the victim of the offense.

H.B. 5202 amends current law relating to a central database containing information about offenders who have committed certain violent offenses.