Bill > SB997

This bill, known as the Kobe and Gianna Bryant Act, prohibits individuals from publishing photographs of human remains that they obtained while acting within the course and scope of their duties as a state or local government officer or employee, with some exceptions. The bill establishes a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for each violation, which can be enforced by the attorney general or a county/district attorney. Exceptions are provided for publishing photographs for official law enforcement, scientific, educational, research, or medical purposes, or as part of a civil proceeding, as well as for publishing photographs in a documentary film or television show with the approval of the chief medical examiner, coroner, or commissioners court, and where the remains are unidentifiable. The bill takes effect on September 1, 2023.