By Kelley Shannon
Executive Director
FOI Foundation of Texas
The Texas Senate has passed a major transparency bill that would protect the rights of information requestors and help ensure the Texas Public Information Act is carried out consistently statewide.
House Bill 3033 by Rep. Brooks Landgraf, R-Odessa, had already won passage in the Texas House. It was sponsored by Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, in the Senate and won approval in that chamber Tuesday. It now returns to the House for a vote on concurrence with Senate amendments.
A major provision in the bill was amended in the Texas House by Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, and would define “business days” under the Public Information Act. This will guide governments across Texas so they have uniformity in complying with the law and are not left to decide on their own which days they are open and closed for TPIA requests. This measure was a leading initiative of the Texas Sunshine Coalition, a diverse group of organizations that spans the political and policy spectrum.
The base bill by Landgraf calls for the prompt release of basic government information to those requesting it and requires improved communication by the governmental body to requestors.
In another part of the bill, Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, amended a section that would protect requestors’ rights amid the temporary withholding of records related to settlement negotiations in big lawsuits waged by the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, shepherded an amendment in the bill that helps governments deal with repeat requestors who use large amounts of government staff time while also ensuring that the rights of Public Information Act requestors are safeguarded.