Tex. Educ. Code § 51.955 · Subchapter Z. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
PROHIBITED STATE AGENCY ACTIONS RELATED TO DISCLOSURE OF PUBLICLY FUNDED RESEARCH.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
(a) In this section, "institution of higher education" has the meaning assigned by Section 61.003.
(b) A state agency that expends appropriated funds may not:
(1) enter into a research contract with an institution of higher education if that contract contains a provision precluding public disclosure of any final data generated or produced in the course of executing the contract unless the agency reasonably determines that the premature disclosure of such data would adversely affect public safety, the protection of intellectual property rights of the institution of higher education, publication rights in professional scientific publications, or valuable confidential information of the institution of higher education or a third party; or
(2) adopt a rule that is based on research conducted under a contract entered into with an institution of higher education unless the agency:
(A) has made the results of the research and all data supporting the research publicly available; or
(B) reasonably determines that the premature disclosure of such data would adversely affect public safety, the protection of intellectual property rights of the institution of higher education, publication rights in professional scientific publications, or valuable confidential information of the institution of higher education or a third party.
(c) Subsection (b)(1) does not apply to a research contract between an institution of higher education and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas or Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.
(d) A response to a request for information regarding research described by Subsection (b) must be made in accordance with Chapter 552, Government Code.
(e) This section does not require the public disclosure of personal identifying information or any other information the disclosure of which is otherwise prohibited by law.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Added by Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1024 (H.B. 1295), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2015.
Amended by:
Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 137 (S.B. 5), Sec. 2, eff. December 1, 2025, subject to resolution of an election contest under Chapter 233, Election Code, relating to Article III, Section 68, Texas Constitution.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.51.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 7d57d6db6806d2f1f6beabc973728f5f53c8e136f9edff0f16f53a64d20c05fd
- Composed by
- compose_tx.py 2026-10-05: the Legislative Council's chapter files read in document order; verify_tx.py's independent reading (lxml DOM walk) agrees character for character
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