The Texas Sunshine Coalition, a diverse group of organizations supporting government transparency, is working to pass state legislation this year to promote the free flow of information.

Organizations participating in the Sunshine Coalition are the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas; Texas Association of Broadcasters; Texas Press Association; Texas Public Policy Foundation; Institute for Justice; ACLU of Texas; Every Texan; Common Cause; Grassroots America; League of Women Voters of Texas; SMU School of Law First Amendment Clinic; Texas Appleseed; Texas Association of Licensed Investigators; Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom; Public Citizen; and PublicData.com.

Some of the transparency  bills have already been introduced at the Texas Capitol, and more are coming soon. The legislative proposals filed so far are:

Senate Bill 50 by Sen. Judith Zaffirini: The legislation would require governments to produce public records in their original format, including electronic spreadsheets, when requested. Many government entities convert spreadsheet data into PDF images before releasing it, which can make it more difficult to search and sort large amounts of information.

Senate Bill 824 by Sen. Mayes Middleton (identical to SB 852) and House Bill 2248 by Rep. John Smithee: The legislation requires governments  to respond to Public Information Act requestors and allows for attorneys’ fees to be recouped by requestors who must go to court to obtain public records.

Senate Bill 919 by Sen. Zaffirini: The proposal requires governments to respond to Public Information Act requestors and provides for a complaint process when there is a failure to respond.

Senate Bill 1291 by Sen. Nathan Johnson: The legislation would allow for seeking a declaratory judgment under the Texas Public Information Act and Texas Open Meetings Act.

Senate Bill 1293 by Sen. Johnson: This resumes access to dates of birth in public records to ensure accuracy when reporting on people with common names.

Senate Bill 1294 by Sen. Johnson: The legislation calls for codifying the establishment of an open government hotline in the Texas Attorney General’s Office and provides a complaint process when public information is not released.

Senate Bill 1295 by Sen. Johnson: This proposal sets out training guidelines for public officials and attorneys who are overseeing compliance with the Texas Public Information in governmental agencies.