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HB 7113 — OGSR/Donor or Prospective Donor/Publicly Owned Performing Arts Center
by Government Accountability Committee and Rep. Willhite (SB 7002 by Community Affairs Committee)
This summary is provided for information only and does not represent the opinion of any Senator, Senate Officer, or Senate Office.
Prepared by: Community Affairs Committee (CA)
HB 7113 eliminates the scheduled repeal of the current public records exemption for identifying information provided by a donor or a prospective donor to a publicly owned performing arts center if the donor or prospective donor wishes to remain anonymous. Such information includes the name, address, or telephone number of the donor or prospective donor.
The Senate Committee on Community Affairs sent out 18 surveys. The surveys revealed that publicly owned performing arts centers normally received requests for anonymity at the time of donation and that donors and prospective donors had chosen anonymity on several occasions. Most publicly owned performing arts centers appeared to collect only contact information from the donors and prospective donors such as their name, address, or phone number. One publicly owned performing arts center defined a donor as “one who is making or has made a contribution” and a prospective donor as “one who is or has been identified as one with the potential to make a contribution.”
Each of the publicly owned performing arts centers that responded to the survey believed that the exemption encouraged donations by ensuring the information provided by the donor or prospective donor remained confidential and exempt and stated that the public records exemption should be reenacted.
If approved by the Governor, these provisions take effect October 1, 2017.
Vote: Senate 37-0; House 117-0