The Texas Senate unanimously passed a bill that would make it illegal for state agencies, like Department of Public Safety (DPS), Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) and the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to continue to sell the personal information of Texans.
The DPS alone has made millions of dollars selling your driver’s license informationto over 1,200 companies and government entities.
DPS Director Col. Steve McCraw explained the practice in a recent State Senate hearing. “Yes, we are selling Driver’s License records,” said McCraw. “We’ve been doing it since the 70’s.” McCraw also acknowledged that some of the companies were making a profit off of the information. “Some of these industries are using it, repackaging it, and selling it as a part of their data model.”
State Senator Robert Nichols filed Senate Bill 15 to put an end to the practice.
The legislation modifies the Texas Drivers Privacy Protection act by restricting the resale of personal information. “It needed to be addressed,” said State Senator Jane Nelson just prior to the vote for the legislation. “We’re going to protect the privacy of the information that Texans own.”
The legislation was also a priority of Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, who gave the bill a low number as a sign of importance. Patrick released the following statement once the bill was passed:
"When Texans provide their personal information to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, or the Texas Department of Transportation, they have an expectation that their personal data won't be sold to marketing companies or bad actors. Senate Bill 15 will help guard against fraud and increase data privacy and I am grateful to Sen. Nichols for his hard work on this legislation."
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