Transparency legislation makes progress in Texas House of Representatives

May 9, 2023

Transparency proposals supported by the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas and the diverse Texas Sunshine Coalition have progressed in the Texas House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support.

House Bill 2493 by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, is a searchable-sortable records bill requiring information to be supplied in spreadsheet format when available. The measure won final passage in the House on Saturday. It now moves on to the Texas Senate.

Legislation defining “business days” under the Texas Public Information Act, carried in the House by Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, was amended Friday onto House Bill 3033, a TPIA bill by Rep. Brooks Landgraf, R-Odessa. The legislation would provide a consistent framework for responding to public records requests and prevent governments from setting their own rules in carrying out the law. HB 3033 won final House passage Saturday and next moves to the Senate.

Both the searchable-sortable records bill and the TPIA business days bill are among the proactive initiatives of the Texas Sunshine Coalition, a broad coalition of groups and businesses from all parts of the public interest spectrum. Earlier this session, House Bill 2309 by Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, supported by the Sunshine Coalition, passed the House. It is awaiting a Senate committee hearing.

Another major transparency bill, House Bill 30 by Rep. Joe Moody, E-El Paso, also won overwhelming House passage late last week. The legislation would close a loophole in the Texas Public Information Act that some law enforcement departments are using to refuse to release records when a suspect has died in police custody. The Uvalde mass shooting has called further attention to this measure, which also moves on to the Texas Senate.