December 15, 2015
FOIFT board members Joe Larsen and Chris Cobler responded to the Attorney General’s ruling that the press would not receive a copy of Victoria County District Attorney Stephen Tyler’s full contract with a consulting firm he hired to analyze a juvenile detention center.
December 14, 2015
Houston attorney and FOIFT board member Joe Larsen told the Houston Chronicle that the Houston Community College board likely violated the state’s Open Meetings Act when they hired a lawyer without a vote.
December 5, 2015
FOIFT board member Joe Larsen told the Texas Tribune the Lower Colorado River Authority appeared to be circumventing the public information act by fighting the release of data on a new reservoir.
November 16, 2015
Board member Joe Larsen argued to the Texas Tribune that jail booking records are not part of the court system in response to the Attorney General’s decision to allow Dallas County to keep booking records secret.
September 25, 2015
Open government attorney and board member Joe Larsen told the Texas Tribune that the Texas Supreme Court’s ruling that shields contract details is “one of the worst” to ever come out of the court.
September 3, 2015
FOIFT Executive Director Kelley Shannon told The Texas Observer that the Keller ISD Board may have violated the Open Meetings Act by meeting privately ahead of LGBT protections vote.
August 31, 2015
Houston attorney and FOIFT board member Joseph Larsen penned a letter to the Denton City Council decrying a 10 year old ordinance that imperils council members’ free-speech rights.
August 26, 2015
FOIFT board members Jim Hemphill, Joe Larsen and Joel White spoke to the Texas Tribune about Gov. Greg Abbott withholding records with AG Ken Paxton’s blessing.
August 10, 2015
FOIFT board member Joe Larsen, a Houston-based attorney, told The Monitor that the attorney general’s office took an “unusually long time” to respond to a request for clarification regarding a district attorney emails.
June 22, 2015
In the Waco Tribune-Herald, FOIFT Executive Director Kelley Shannon called for video of the Twin Peaks shootout to be released because it “helps the public understand what happened.”
May 21, 2015
Kelley Shannon told The Dallas Morning News that open government advocates were making “good progress” during the 2015 legislative session.
April 16, 2015
Kelley Shannon in a report by the Associated Press: Citizens “really need” information on suppliers of execution drugs.
April 14, 2015
Executive Director Kelley Shannon told The Dallas Morning News that police dashboard and body camera video were useful tools to hold the government accountable.
March 17, 2015
Executive Director Kelley Shannon on the resolution of a case regarding a violation of the state’s Open Meetings Act in the Rio Grande Valley.
February 24, 2015
Laura Prather, a First Amendment attorney and legislative committee co-chair of FOIFT, on legislation by Rep. Todd Hunter that would strengthen the Texas Public Information Act.
February 19, 2015
Joe Larsen, a Houston attorney and member of the FOIFT board of directors, speaks to the Victoria Advocate about the Victoria County sheriff declining to release ex-deputy’s records in excessive force investigation.
February 16, 2015
Executive Director Kelley Shannon on a bill targeting out-of-state public information requests.
February 6, 2015
Executive Director Kelley Shannon speaks to the Houston Chronicle about a bill that would limit Public Information Act use to Texans.
January 29, 2015
Joe Larsen, a member of the FOIFT board of directors, speaks to the San Antonio Express-News about Gov. Greg Abbott tweaking the governor’s controversial email destruction policy.
January 28, 2015
Bill Aleshire, an attorney who volunteers with the Freedom of Information Foundation, speaks to the Houston Chronicle about Fort Bend County withholding details of paramedic raises until after vote.