Committee backs bill letting law enforcement post unclaimed property notices online

The Senate Committee on Criminal Justice voted to report House Bill 1261, which would permit local law‑enforcement agencies to publish notices of seized or unclaimed property on the Internet and on social networking platforms used by the agency instead of (or in addition to) placing the notice in a paper of general circulation.

Supporters — including evidence and property managers and a Harris County property‑room sergeant — told the committee the traditional newspaper and certified‑mail notices are costly, time‑consuming and reach fewer people, while online postings are immediate, low‑cost and searchable. Sarah Wilson, evidence and forensic supervisor for the Seguin Police Department and an officer with the Texas Association of Property and Evidence Inventory Technicians, said digital posting “saves time and improves responsiveness” and reaches people who no longer read print newspapers.

News‑industry witnesses urged a balanced approach. Donis Baggett of the Texas Press Association and Mark Medici of Hearst testified that newspapers today operate large digital audiences and that newspapers’ notice services remain a reliable, searchable public record; they warned that removing newspaper publication could reduce visibility and increase the risk of fraudulent dispositions. Medici and Baggett said their organizations provide searchable aggregated public‑notice services at no additional cost to governments.

After hearing both sides, the committee voted 6–0 to report the bill favorably and recommended it for the local, uncontested calendar. Committee members said the measure brings a statutory rule in line with digital practices already used by state agencies such as the Texas Comptroller’s unclaimed‑property website.