The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas hosts its 2014 annual state conference “A Road Map to Open Government” on Friday, Sept. 12, at the Hilton Austin hotel. Panel discussions throughout the day will focus on the public’s access to courts; social media in open government; and new twists in the Texas Public Information Act.
Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, an outspoken advocate for constitutional rights including free speech, will be the keynote speaker at the conference’s John Henry Faulk Awards Luncheon. Also at the luncheon: Presentation of the James Madison Award to a First Amendment champion and the State Bar’s presentation of its Gavel Awards to outstanding journalists.
Among the session panelists are Terri Langford of the Texas Tribune; attorney Bill Aleshire, an expert in open government; Amanda Crawford, chief of the Open Government Division of the Texas Attorney General’s Office; Peggy Fikac of the San Antonio Express-News; Robert Quigley, a former Austin American-Statesman journalist who specializes in new media at the UT-Austin School of Journalism; and Steven Polunsky of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute and author of Spin-Salad.com, aimed at bringing the government and the people closer together.
For more information or to register, visit the Activities and Programs section of our FOIFT website. Conference registration is $110 until Aug. 29, then the rate increases to $125. Luncheon only registrations are also available. Reduced rate hotel reservations are available for a limited time.