FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:  Marlena Villers

214.977.6658

FOIFT to Sponsor Repsonsible Rights

Seminar in Dallas

The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas will host a Responsible Rights seminar on Friday, June 23, in Dallas.   The seminar will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Main Auditorium of the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library at 1515 Young Street.

Responsible Rights:  Government in the Sunshine is a traveling symposium designed to develop and enhance understanding of the changing landscape of open government.  It is directed toward the general public, elected officials, government employees and representatives of the media.

Scheduled presenters include Susan Denmon Gusky, an attorney with Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.; Hadassah Schloss, cost rules administrator for the Open Records Division of the Office of the Attorney General of Texas; and Paul C. Watler, a shareholder with Jenkens & Gilchrist, P.C.

The seminar is divided into two sections:  Texas Open Meetings Act in the morning and Texas Public Information Act in the afternoon.  The fee is $50 for the whole day, or $30 for either the morning or afternoon only.  No meals will be arranged or provided as a part of the seminar, but a 90- minute lunch break is included in the schedule. Advance registration is required due to limited space.  The course materials have been approved by the Office of the Attorney General as meeting the requirements for open government training for public officials.

To register, contact the FOIFT office at 214.977.6658, or complete a registration form available on the FOIFT Web site at www.foift.org, and fax or mail to FOIFT at 214.977.6666, 400 S. Record St., Suite 240, Dallas, TX 75202.  This event is not sponsored by the Dallas Public Library.

The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, works to encourage, sponsor and facilitate a greater appreciation, knowledge and understanding of the First Amendment.  The FOIFT strives to preserve the freedoms necessary in a democratic republic by educating media and legal professionals, educators, students, public and government officials and individual citizens about their rights and responsibilities as citizens.  For more information, call 214.977.6658, or visit our Web site, www.foift.org.

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