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The 2013 Bernard and Audre Rapoport State Conference is set for August 9th

2013-08-15T23:57:09-05:00

The 2013 Bernard and Audre Rapoport State Conference is set for Friday, Aug. 9, at the Sheraton Austin – Capitol located at 701 E. 11th St. Conference in downtown Austin. For more information on registration, contact the FOIFT office at 512.377.1575 or email us at [email protected]. If you’d like to come in early, on Thursday, Aug. 8, you can book a room now at the low rate of $159. If you’d like to stay the weekend – Friday, Aug. 9 and/or Saturday, Aug. 10 — the same rate will apply on a space available basis. For more information, Sheraton’s designated Freedom [...]

The 2013 Bernard and Audre Rapoport State Conference is set for August 9th2013-08-15T23:57:09-05:00

Questions of Contradiction in Ethics Bills

2013-08-18T17:05:51-05:00

By Emily Ramshaw and Aman Batheja Originally published May 16, 2013 This is one in a series of occasional stories about ethics and transparency in the part-time Texas Legislature. All session long, freshman state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione has been clamoring for greater transparency, trying to force lawmakers and their relatives to disclose their contracts with government agencies and shine a light on closely held state pension benefits. When his first transparency bill got a committee hearing, his senior House colleagues effectively showed him the door. But when it came time this week to vote on Senate Bill 346, a measure that [...]

Questions of Contradiction in Ethics Bills2013-08-18T17:05:51-05:00

Disclosure Bills Get Little Love From Top Leaders

2013-08-18T17:12:35-05:00

By Emily Ramshaw, Texas Tribune Originally published May 1, 2013 This is one in a series of occasional stories about ethics and transparency in the part-time Texas Legislature. Six months before the Texas Legislature kicked into gear, Gov. Rick Perry told reporters that candidates for public office should be as “transparent” as they can possibly be with their personal financial interests. It has remained the term du jour for state leaders this legislative session, used by everyone from House Speaker Joe Straus to Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst to endorse honesty in budgeting, improve grant-making in the state’s troubled cancer agency and [...]

Disclosure Bills Get Little Love From Top Leaders2013-08-18T17:12:35-05:00

FOIFT names new Executive Director

2013-08-15T23:51:11-05:00

AUSTIN — Kelley Shannon, a longtime Texas journalist, has been named executive director of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. Dale Leach, president of the foundation board of directors, said Shannon would begin her new duties Wednesday. She replaces Keith Elkins, who resigned in January to accept a position with an Austin television station. Shannon’s journalism career includes more than 20 years as a correspondent with The Associated Press, as well as reporting assignments for The Dallas Morning News, the Savannah (Ga.) News-Press and the Palestine Herald-Press. She also has done extensive freelance reporting and has been an adjunct journalism [...]

FOIFT names new Executive Director2013-08-15T23:51:11-05:00

Court says states can restrict access to public records

2013-08-18T17:14:19-05:00

By Richard Wolf, USA Today Originally posted, 4.29.13 WASHINGTON — States may have little reason to restrict public records access to their own residents, but the practice is not unconstitutional, the Supreme Court ruled Monday. The unanimous decision, allowing Virginia to favor its residents under its Freedom of Information Act, goes against media organizations and professional data miners that had sided with the law’s out-of-state challengers. During oral arguments in February, several justices had questioned whether the state’s law served any purpose, since non-residents can hire residents to get information. In his ruling, Justice Samuel Alito noted much of the data [...]

Court says states can restrict access to public records2013-08-18T17:14:19-05:00
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