AUSTIN, TX — Yesterday, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick appointed Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa as Co-Chair of the Joint Interim Committee on Disclosure of Emergency Call Information. The committee is charged with studying the process, handling, and disclosure of emergency call recordings made by individuals who subsequently die from the emergency described in their call.

Senator Hinojosa issued the following statement on his appointment to this committee:

“Thank you to Lt. Governor Patrick for appointing me as Co-Chair of the Joint Interim Committee on Disclosure of Emergency Call Information.

This is an extremely sensitive and challenging issue in that we must balance our 1st Amendment rights and the public's right to know, with the personal privacy of families who have lost loved ones in a tragic situation and have had their anguish recorded and replayed through the disclosure of a 911 recording of a loved one's emergency call.

We must come up with a solution that protects the privacy and heartaches of the families who have lost loved ones, while at the same time protects the public's right to know.”

Other members of the committee include: Sen. Donna Campbell, Sen. Bob Hall, Sen. Don Huffines, and Sen. Jose Rodriguez.

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