Gov. Greg Abbott has signed into law House Bill 4219, requiring governments to issue a written response to requestors who seek records under the Texas Public Information Act. The measure, a proposal of the Texas Sunshine Coalition, was put forth by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, and Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo.
It requires a written government reply even if it is to say there are no responsive documents or a previous attorney general ruling allows withholding those records. Governments who don’t comply could face consequences including being required to undergo more open government training.
As the deadline approached Sunday, June 22, to sign or veto a bill, Abbott also signed into law several other transparency measures:
HB 4214 by Rep. Pat Curry, R-Waco, requiring the Attorney General’s Office to maintain a publicly accessible database listing governments’ current public information request addresses.
HB 3711 by Capriglione, expanding investigation options for Open Meetings Act violations to include potential assistance by the AG’s office and state law enforcement.
HB 1522, by Rep. Stan Gerdes, R-Smithville, requiring public meeting notices to be posted three business days in advance instead of 72 hours and requiring a copy of a budget with the posting if a budget is to be considered in the meeting.
The governor vetoed the following transparency bill:
HB 2520 by Rep. Ann Johnson, D-Houston, to include in the Open Meetings Act school district boards of managers where there’s been a state takeover. In his veto proclamation, Abbott said a Texas Education Agency-appointed board of managers already must comply with the Open Meetings Act and that the bill would have duplicated existing law.