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ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
GREG ABBOTT
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September 10, 2010

Mr. Robert E. Reyna

Assistant City Attorney

City of San Antonio

P.O. Box 839966

San Antonio, Texas 78283

OR2010-13780

Dear Mr. Reyna:

You ask whether certain information is subject to required public disclosure under the Public Information Act (the "Act"), chapter 552 of the Government Code. Your request was assigned ID# 398100 (COSA File No. 2010-6413).

The City of San Antonio (the "city") received a request for information pertaining to case number 00557408. You claim the submitted information is excepted from disclosure under section 552.101 of the Government Code. We have considered the exception you claim and reviewed the submitted information.

Section 552.101 of the Government Code excepts from disclosure "information considered to be confidential by law, either constitutional, statutory, or by judicial decision" and encompasses information made confidential by statute. Gov't Code § 552.101. Section 550.065(b) of the Transportation Code states that except as provided by subsection (c), accident reports are privileged and confidential. See Transp. Code § 550.065. Section 550.065(c)(4) provides for the release of accident reports to a person who provides two of the following three pieces of information: (1) date of the accident; (2) name of any person involved in the accident; and (3) specific location of the accident. Id. § 550.065(c)(4). The requestor has not provided the city with two of the three requisite pieces of information specified by the statute. Accordingly, the city must withhold the submitted CR-3 accident report form under section 552.101 of the Government Code in conjunction with section 550.065(b) of the Transportation Code.

Section 552.101 of the Government Code also encompasses section 772.318 of the Health and Safety Code. Chapter 772 of the Health and Safety Code relates to local emergency communications districts. Section 772.318 applies to an emergency 9-1-1 district established in accordance with chapter 772 and makes confidential the originating telephone numbers and addresses of 9-1-1 callers that are furnished by a service supplier. See Open Records Decision No. 649 (1996). We understand that the city is part of an emergency communication district that was established under section 772.318. (1) Provided that the marked telephone number consists of the originating telephone number furnished by a 9-1-1 service supplier, we agree the city must withhold the marked information under section 552.101 of the Government Code in conjunction with section 772.318 of the Health and Safety Code.

In summary, the city must withhold the CR-3 accident report form under section 552.101 of the Government Code in conjunction with section 550.065(b) of the Transportation Code. The city must withhold the marked telephone number under section 552.101 of the Government Code in conjunction with section 772.318 of the Health and Safety Code to the extent the marked telephone number consists of the originating telephone furnished by a 9-1-1 service supplier. The remaining information must be released to the requestor.

This letter ruling is limited to the particular information at issue in this request and limited to the facts as presented to us; therefore, this ruling must not be relied upon as a previous determination regarding any other information or any other circumstances.

This ruling triggers important deadlines regarding the rights and responsibilities of the governmental body and of the requestor. For more information concerning those rights and responsibilities, please visit our website at http://www.oag.state.tx.us/open/index_orl.php, or call the Office of the Attorney General's Open Government Hotline, toll free, at (877) 673-6839. Questions concerning the allowable charges for providing public information under the Act must be directed to the Cost Rules Administrator of the Office of the Attorney General, toll free, at (888) 672-6787.

Sincerely,

Amy L.S. Shipp

Assistant Attorney General

Open Records Division

ALS/tp

Ref: ID# 398100

Enc. Submitted documents

c: Requestor

(w/o enclosures)


Footnotes

1. Section 772.318 applies to an emergency communication district for a county with a population of more than 20,000.

 

POST OFFICE BOX 12548, AUSTIN, TEXAS 78711-2548 TEL: (512) 463-2100 WEB: WWW.OAG.STATE.TX.US
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