By Mary Flood
Houston Chronicle
Originally published April 8, 2014

The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas and the Texas Attorney General’s Office will hold an Open Government Seminar in Houston Wednesday April 30 at South Texas College of Law.

The morning training in the state’s public meetings and public records laws is free, starts at 9 am and is aimed at “government employees, journalists and members of the general public who want to learn more about the Texas Public Information Act.” The afternoon session on open meetings costs $50.

Here is the press release about the event:

FOI Foundation partners with Attorney General’s Office in hosting Houston Open Government Seminar

AUSTIN _ The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas announced details Friday of an upcoming Open Government Seminar in Houston featuring training in the state’s public meetings and public records laws.

The non-profit FOI Foundation, partnering with Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office, will offer the one-day seminar on April 30. It is designed for government employees, journalists and members of the general public who want to learn more about the Texas Public Information Act and Texas Open Meetings Act.

“This training on Texas open government laws provides important information for public employees and essential tools for citizens as they participate in our democracy,” said Kelley Shannon, executive director of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas.

The event will take place at South Texas College of Law in the Garrett-Townes Auditorium, 1303 San Jacinto St. in Houston. The Attorney General’s Office will begin the day with training on the Texas Public Information Act at 9 a.m. followed by TPIA cost rules training. Those sessions are free.

The FOI Foundation will present an afternoon training session on the Texas Open Meetings Act by attorney Joe Larsen, a foundation board member, starting at 1:15 p.m. The afternoon session fee is $50 to help cover materials and other seminar costs.

Supporting the FOI Foundation with sponsorship of the seminar are the Houston Chronicle and CourthouseDirect.com.

The sessions are approved by the Attorney General’s Office as meeting the state requirements for open government training for public officials. The daylong seminar also qualifies for Continuing Legal Education through the State Bar of Texas.

To register, visit the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas website at www.foift.org and go to the “Activities and Programs” tab and then “Open Government Seminars.” For further information contact the FOI Foundation office at 512-377-1575512-377-1575.