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BRIEF: The Texas legislature has struck down two of three surveillance bills this session, in what some would call a reflection of a national surveillance trend. The Pentagon is currently formulating a radar-based detection system meant to identify people by the way they walk. Bill 945 would have mandated the Department of Public Safety to collect "biometric identification" upon issuing drivers licenses. This biometric data amounts to digital scanning of physiological characteristics, including finger and thumbprints. Although the DPS currently collects pictures and thumb prints, the advanced system would eliminate a slow matching process. The House killed the bill yesterday. The ACLU of Texas was critical of House Bill 945 as well as another dead surveillance bill. Senate Bill 901 would have authorized the placement of 20,000 linked government cameras at traffic lights throughout the state in order to catch cars running red lights. The ACLU claims such cameras in other states record more than red light running, often leading to abuse by police officers. They describe incidents where Detroit police used the recordings to stalk women, blackmail motorists, and track down estranged spouses. They also claim that such footage is sold to Internet sites and television shows such as Cops. One surveillance bill that did pass the senate is House Bill 9, a homeland security initiative. The bill is meant to make a majority of government records related to terrorism inaccessible to the public. An amendment to the bill, proposed by the University of Texas, would have made the location of all cameras on government property confidential - including those on the UT campus. The bill irked Senator Shapley, who demanded the right to know if a camera exists in his private office. He wrote an amendment that would secure this right. However, a spokesman from co-author Senator Ray Allen's office says the amendment is unclear and will be reworked next session. Karem Said, KPFT News, Houston. E-mail Karem Said at karemsaid@hotmail.com . This story was broadcast on May 28, 2003.