HB 4885

H.B. No. 4885
  AN ACT
  relating to the disclosure of confidential juvenile records to a
  managed assigned counsel program.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 51.02, Family Code, is amended by adding
  Subdivision (7-a) to read as follows:
               (7-a)  "Managed assigned counsel program" has the
  meaning assigned by Article 26.047, Code of Criminal Procedure.
         SECTION 2.  Section 58.004(b), Family Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (b)  This section does not apply to information that is:
               (1)  necessary for an agency to provide services to the
  victim;
               (2)  necessary for law enforcement purposes;
               (3)  shared within the statewide juvenile information
  and case management system established under Subchapter E;
               (4)  shared with an attorney representing the child in
  a proceeding under this title; [or]
               (5)  shared with an attorney representing any other
  person in a juvenile or criminal court proceeding arising from the
  same act or conduct for which the child was referred to juvenile
  court; or
               (6)  shared with a managed assigned counsel program
  responsible for appointing an attorney to represent the child in a
  proceeding under this title to determine indigence or fulfill the
  program's duties in appointing and overseeing appointed counsel
  once a request for appointed counsel is made.
         SECTION 3.  Section 58.005(a-1), Family Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (a-1)  Except as provided by Article 15.27, Code of Criminal
  Procedure, the records and information to which this section
  applies may be disclosed only to:
               (1)  the professional staff or consultants of the
  agency or institution;
               (2)  the judge, probation officers, and professional
  staff or consultants of the juvenile court;
               (3)  an attorney for the child;
               (4)  a governmental agency if the disclosure is
  required or authorized by law;
               (5)  an individual or entity to whom the child is
  referred for treatment or services, including assistance in
  transitioning the child to the community after the child's release
  or discharge from a juvenile facility;
               (6)  the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and the
  Texas Juvenile Justice Department for the purpose of maintaining
  statistical records of recidivism and for diagnosis and
  classification;
               (7)  a prosecuting attorney;
               (8)  a parent, guardian, or custodian with whom a child
  will reside after the child's release or discharge from a juvenile
  facility;
               (9)  a governmental agency or court if the record is
  necessary for an administrative or legal proceeding and the
  personally identifiable information about the child is redacted
  before the record is disclosed; [or]
               (10)  with permission from the juvenile court, any
  other individual, agency, or institution having a legitimate
  interest in the proceeding or in the work of the court; or
               (11)  a managed assigned counsel program responsible
  for appointing an attorney to represent the child in a juvenile
  delinquency proceeding to determine indigence or fulfill the
  program's duties in appointing and overseeing appointed counsel
  once a request for appointed counsel is made.
         SECTION 4.  Section 58.007(b), Family Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (b)  Except as provided by Section 54.051(d-1) and by Article
  15.27, Code of Criminal Procedure, the records, whether physical or
  electronic, of a juvenile court, a clerk of court, a juvenile
  probation department, or a prosecuting attorney relating to a child
  who is a party to a proceeding under this title may be inspected or
  copied only by:
               (1)  the judge, probation officers, and professional
  staff or consultants of the juvenile court;
               (2)  a juvenile justice agency as that term is defined
  by Section 58.101;
               (3)  an attorney representing the child's parent in a
  proceeding under this title;
               (4)  an attorney representing the child;
               (5)  a prosecuting attorney;
               (6)  an individual or entity to whom the child is
  referred for treatment or services, including assistance in
  transitioning the child to the community after the child's release
  or discharge from a juvenile facility;
               (7)  a public or private agency or institution
  providing supervision of the child by arrangement of the juvenile
  court, or having custody of the child under juvenile court order;
  [or]
               (8)  with permission from the juvenile court, any other
  individual, agency, or institution having a legitimate interest in
  the proceeding or in the work of the court; or
               (9)  a managed assigned counsel program responsible for
  appointing an attorney to represent the child in a juvenile
  delinquency proceeding to determine indigence or fulfill the
  program's duties in appointing and overseeing appointed counsel
  once a request for appointed counsel is made.
         SECTION 5.  Sections 58.004, 58.005, and 58.007, Family
  Code, as amended by this Act, apply to records created before, on,
  or after the effective date of this Act.
         SECTION 6.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.
  ______________________________
  ______________________________
     President of the Senate
  Speaker of the House     
         I certify that H.B. No. 4885 was passed by the House on May 7,
  2025, by the following vote:  Yeas 148, Nays 0, 1 present, not
  voting.
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
         I certify that H.B. No. 4885 was passed by the Senate on May
  19, 2025, by the following vote:  Yeas 30, Nays 1.
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate    
  APPROVED:  _____________________
                     Date          
            _____________________
                   Governor