Monitoring the Session

HB 5145

Utility Customer Data Moves In 48 Hours, No Sign-Off Needed

Died in committee

Verdict: Smells

SmellsInitial review
Rep. Senfronia ThompsonDHouse 141
Why it's charged
The hole

THE TEXT

“Except as provided by Subsection (f), Subchapter B, Chapter 15, does not apply to a violation of this section.”

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The caption promises protection of customer information, but this clause switches off most of Chapter 15, Subchapter B for violations, including mishandling or over-retaining the data, and keeps only Section 15.021. That narrows the consequence behind the protection duties the bill advertises.

The hole

Initial review · graded Oct 20, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to the sharing and protection of certain utility proprietary customer information.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Names, phones, emails, home addresses. The utility can pass them on. Most penalties switched off.

The bill requires retail electric providers to hand over customer names, phone numbers, email and home addresses to the local electric utility within 48 hours of a request, so the utility can contact customers about emergencies, outages and restoration. It lets the utility pass that information to any other person without the customer's prior authorization when needed for that outage communication, and it requires everyone who gets the data to secure it and not keep it longer than necessary. Customers' contact data moves between companies without their sign-off, and most of the usual penalty provisions in Utilities Code Chapter 15, Subchapter B are switched off for violations, with only Section 15.021 kept in force.

Labels

Labels: NEVER GOT A HEARING. Filed Mar 13, 2025 and referred to the House State Affairs committee. No public hearing. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB5145 · 2025-03-13

SOLD BY

Rep. Senfronia ThompsonDHouse 141

ITEM

relating to the sharing and protection of certain utility proprietary customer information.

WHAT IT DOES

Names, phones, emails, home addresses. The utility can pass them on. Most penalties switched off.

The bill requires retail electric providers to hand over customer names, phone numbers, email and home addresses to the local electric utility within 48 hours of a request, so the utility can contact customers about emergencies, outages and restoration. It lets the utility pass that information to any other person without the customer's prior authorization when needed for that outage communication, and it requires everyone who gets the data to secure it and not keep it longer than necessary. Customers' contact data moves between companies without their sign-off, and most of the usual penalty provisions in Utilities Code Chapter 15, Subchapter B are switched off for violations, with only Section 15.021 kept in force.

CHARGES

[x] THE HOLEanalysis confidence 50%

THE TEXT

“Except as provided by Subsection (f), Subchapter B, Chapter 15, does not apply to a violation of this section.”

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The caption promises protection of customer information, but this clause switches off most of Chapter 15, Subchapter B for violations, including mishandling or over-retaining the data, and keeps only Section 15.021. That narrows the consequence behind the protection duties the bill advertises.

TOTAL

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

HISTORY

  1. Filed
  2. Read first time
  3. Referred to State Affairs
FILED UNDER

SURVEILLANCE STATE

THE TEXT

…“an electric utility may provide the proprietary customer information to another person without prior verifiable authorization from the customer”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The bill lets utilities share customers' names, phone numbers, emails and home addresses with unnamed third parties without the customer's consent, under an emergency-communication banner.

Smells

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Senfronia Thompson

Donors

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$40KTexas REALTORS Political Action Committee$23KTexas Sands PAC$14K

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Jul 18, 2024 to Oct 21, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$40,000.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$40,000.00

Cash
$40,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$40,000.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 16, 2024 to Sep 29, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100991261, 101012357, 101035257, 101068783.

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee$22,500.00

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee

$22,500.00

Cash
$22,500.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$22,500.00

Also funds 140 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 2, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 31, 2024 to Oct 7, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100991261, 101012357, 101035257, 101068783.

Texas Sands PAC$14,000.00

Texas Sands PAC

$14,000.00

Cash
$14,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$14,000.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 4, 2024 to Jun 22, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101011899, 101012357, 101035257.

Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

×

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$40,000.00

Cash
$40,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$40,000.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 16, 2024 to Sep 29, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100991261, 101012357, 101035257, 101068783.

×

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee

$22,500.00

Cash
$22,500.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$22,500.00

Also funds 140 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 2, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 31, 2024 to Oct 7, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100991261, 101012357, 101035257, 101068783.

×

Texas Sands PAC

$14,000.00

Cash
$14,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$14,000.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 4, 2024 to Jun 22, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101011899, 101012357, 101035257.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Fiscal

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas House · Filed Mar 13, 2025

04/07/2025 H Referred to State Affairs: Apr 7 2025 5:28PM

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:19 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

House committee · State Affairs · Final status: Died in committee

Companion

SB 483 by Alvarado (identical)

Subjects

Consumer Protection

Disaster Preparedness & Relief

Protection of Personal Information

Utilities--Electric

Utilities--General

Text

The text as introduced · 403 words

89R4122 SCR-F

By: Thompson
H.B. No. 5145

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the sharing and protection of certain utility

proprietary customer information.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 17, Utilities Code, is

amended by adding Section 17.011 to read as follows:

Sec. 17.011. SHARING PROPRIETARY CUSTOMER INFORMATION. (a)

In this section, "proprietary customer information" means any

identifying information compiled by a retail electric provider

about an individual customer that may be used for communication

regarding emergencies, billing, or service-related matters,

including the customer's:

(1) name;

(2) telephone number;

(3) e-mail address; or

(4) home address.

(b) An electric utility providing electric delivery

services for a retail electric provider may request from the retail

electric provider any proprietary customer information reasonably

necessary for the electric utility to communicate with a customer

regarding an emergency affecting service, an interruption of

service, or restoration of service. The retail electric provider

shall provide to the electric utility the proprietary customer

information not later than 48 hours after the request is made. The

retail electric provider is not required to obtain a prior

verifiable authorization from the customer before complying with

this subsection.

(c) Notwithstanding Section 39.157(d)(4), an electric

utility may provide the proprietary customer information to another

person without prior verifiable authorization from the customer as

necessary for communication with the customer regarding an

emergency affecting service, an interruption of service, or

restoration of service.

(d) An electric utility or another person who obtains

proprietary customer information under this section:

(1) shall, for purposes of protecting the

confidentiality, integrity, and accessibility of the information,

establish, implement, and maintain reasonable administrative,

technical, and physical data security practices that are

appropriate to the volume and nature of the information at issue,

including encryption and secure data storage; and

(2) may not retain the information for longer than

reasonably necessary to communicate with the customer regarding an

emergency affecting service, an interruption of service, or

restoration of service.

(e) Except as provided by Subsection (f), Subchapter B,

Chapter 15, does not apply to a violation of this section.

(f) Section 15.021 applies to a violation of this section.

(g) This section does not affect the application of Chapter

541, Business & Commerce Code, to a person that is not an electric

utility or a retail electric provider.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.