The bill amends the Health and Safety Code to establish confidentiality for tier two forms that list hazardous chemicals held by political subdivisions in Texas. Specifically, it introduces new provisions that state these forms are confidential and not subject to public disclosure under Chapter 552 of the Government Code, with exceptions for when the information has been made publicly available by the commission or when it only includes the name of a class of dangerous goods as defined in the 2024 Emergency Response Guidebook published by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Additionally, the bill modifies existing language in Sections 505.006, 506.006, and 507.006 to clarify the confidentiality of these tier two forms. The amendments ensure that while documents filed under these sections are generally subject to public disclosure, the newly inserted subsections explicitly protect tier two forms from being disclosed, thereby enhancing the privacy of sensitive chemical information held by local governments. The bill is set to take effect on September 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Health and Safety Code 505.006, Health and Safety Code 506.006, Health and Safety Code 507.006 (Health and Safety Code 506, Health and Safety Code 507, Health and Safety Code 505)