Texas House bill by Rep. Button clarifies confidentiality of unemployment and job matching data

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Angie Chen Button seeks to clarify which unemployment compensation, job matching services, and fraud detection information is exempt from public disclosure, aiming to protect sensitive data involved in workforce and fraud prevention programs, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the House, 55 Democrats and 86 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while six Democrats opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 11 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor, with no opposing votes.

Angie Chen Button introduced the bill in the Texas House on Thursday, Feb. 13, during the 89th regular legislative session.

Button, a Republican, was elected to the Texas State House in 2009 to represent the state’s 112nd House district, replacing previous state representative Fred Hill.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to the disclosure of certain fraud detection information obtained in the administration of the unemployment compensation system’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends Section 301.085 of the Government Code to specify that information related to unemployment compensation, job matching services, and fraud detection is not considered public information under Chapter 552. It defines “job matching services information” as data linked to the commission’s efforts to connect employers and job seekers, and “unemployment compensation information” as records associated with the administration of unemployment benefits and tax systems. “Fraud detection information” encompasses various materials revealing the methods used by the commission to prevent and investigate fraud in these programs. The bill will take effect immediately if approved by a two-thirds majority in each legislative house; otherwise, it will become effective Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill was co-authored by Rep. Oscar Longoria (Democrat – District 35) and Rep. Keith Bell (Republican – District 4), along with two other authors.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Tuesday, May 20, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday, June 20.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.