Texas lawmakers worried about identity theft are trying to remove state employees’ birth dates from public records — a move journalists and open records advocates say is unnecessary and will hamper government oversight.

A proposal by Rep. Helen Giddings, D-DeSoto, that would make the information private is scheduled for a public hearing Tuesday. A Senate version of the bill had a hearing earlier this month.

Those and at least two other bills filed in the Legislature this session could supersede a pending Texas Supreme Court case between The Dallas Morning News and the state comptroller’s office.

In 2006 the comptroller’s office filed a lawsuit asking that birth dates be ruled as personal information exempt from open records requests. That was after then-Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn refused to include birth dates with employee payroll records requested by the Morning News. Past records have included the dates.

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