(HOUSTON) — Saying that the inadvertent public release of private data for more than 250 local university students proves the point, State Representative Hubert Vo today again called on fellow lawmakers to get behind his proposed initiative to protect student identities and other private data.

“Our higher education institutions have a higher standard to meet when it comes to protecting the identities of the students we entrust to their care,” said Vo, who filed legislation two sessions in a row to provide strict measures and clear guidance for Texas higher education institutions when dealing with the personal information of their students.

University of Houston officials this week said they had removed the names and Social Security numbers of 259 students from online postings after a Washington, D.C. advocacy group alerted the school to the breach.

Vo pledged to file his reform bill again.

Two years ago, he filed House Bill 2830 to limit the possibility of students’ private information being inadvertently disclosed by universities and colleges. Last year, he filed House Bill 2213 with the same goal.

According to news reports, the University of Texas at Austin has also experienced similar security breaches.

• Vo’s proposal would:
  Prohibit use of Social Security numbers as student ID numbers
• Prevent inclusion of student Social Security numbers in documents or transcripts that are widely distributed
• Prohibit posting of student’ or former students’ social security numbers in any way that’s accessible to the public

Vo said he continues to work with his fellow lawmakers and outside groups to gain support for the stricter security measures.