Utility Customer Confidentiality

On June 18, 2021, Governor Greg Abbott signed HB 872 and declared it effective immediately. What does this mean for Stephens Regional Special Utility District customers?  Prior to HB 872, if a customer wanted their account information to remain private, the customer would have to fill out a Confidentiality Request form.

With the passage of HB 872, all customer information of government-operated utilities is completely private and may not be shared without customer permission*. To learn more about HB 872, visit https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=87R&Bill=HB872

If you would like your customer information to be accessible (not private) to outside entities, please fill out the Notice About Privacy of Customer Information Form located here.

* Confidentiality under Chapter 182 does not prohibit a government-operated utility from disclosing personal information in a customer’s account record to: (1) an official or employee of the state, a political subdivision of the state, or the United States acting in an official capacity; (2) an employee of a utility acting in connection with the employee’s duties; (3) a consumer reporting agency; (4) a contractor or subcontractor approved by and providing services to the utility, the state, a political subdivision of the state, or the United States; (5) a person for whom the customer has contractually waived confidentiality for personal information; or (6) another entity that provides water, wastewater, sewer, gas, garbage, electricity, or drainage service for compensation.