PIA

San Antonio Express-News: Lawmakers should let in sunshine

2017-05-08T14:49:47-05:00

San Antonio Express-News Editorial Board Originally published May 7, 2017 Make no mistake: If state lawmakers leave a number of open government bills hanging this session, the public will be left in the dark. A number of promising bills to make government more accountable and open to the public have been filed, but they were all, as of this writing, pending in committee. The legislation addresses any number of tricks public officials use to either keep the public in the dark or muddy the official record. Open government benefits everyone except bad actors, and these bills are worthy of bipartisan support. [...]

San Antonio Express-News: Lawmakers should let in sunshine2017-05-08T14:49:47-05:00

Guest column: Tell legislators openness needed in government

2017-04-29T04:49:18-05:00

By Donnis Baggett Published in the Houston Chronicle Originally published April 28, 2017 There's no question Texans are suspicious of government. That's why virtually everyone who ran for the Legislature last year sang the patriotic song of transparency. Unfortunately, campaign season is now a distant memory. Lawmakers have spent four months in the company of lobbyists who are good at convincing legislators that the interests of their clients are more important than open government. A tabernacle-sized choir singing the chorus of transparency has dwindled to a small combo that could rehearse in a two-car garage. It's time for the others who [...]

Guest column: Tell legislators openness needed in government2017-04-29T04:49:18-05:00

Police withheld records of their son’s death; now they know why

2017-04-21T17:14:41-05:00

By Eric Dexheimer Austin American-Statesman Originally published April 20, 2017 Kathy and Robert Dyer received the phone call out of every parent’s nightmares at 3 a.m. on Aug. 14, 2013. A Mesquite police officer was telling them their 18-year-old son, Graham, was in the hospital with a serious head injury. They should come as quickly as possible. They sped in the dark south to Dallas from their home on a dirt road outside of Paris, in Northeast Texas, arriving at Baylor University Medical Center at dawn. Graham lay unresponsive in the intensive care unit beneath a bristle of medical tubes and [...]

Police withheld records of their son’s death; now they know why2017-04-21T17:14:41-05:00

Austin American-Statesman: Austin abandons transparency in search for new city manager

2017-04-03T19:42:37-05:00

By Editorial Board Austin American-Statesman Originally published April 1, 2017 The Austin City Council should reverse its decision to conduct a secret search for the next city manager to lead Austin, one of the fastest-growing metropolises in the nation. A closed search would obstruct Austin residents from having a meaningful say in the selection of a manager charged with running most every aspect of city government, either directly or indirectly. It’s a job that helps determine Austin’s quality of life, cultural vitality and global image. Consider that it is the manager who is responsible for city services or departments that recycle [...]

Austin American-Statesman: Austin abandons transparency in search for new city manager2017-04-03T19:42:37-05:00

Texas Senate approves major Public Information Act bills

2017-03-28T20:20:01-05:00

The Texas Senate passed two major bills Tuesday that would restore public access to government records showing how taxpayer money is spent. Senate Bill 407 and Senate Bill 408 are both authored by state Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin. They won final Senate passage and now move on to the House of Representatives. Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, filed identical bills in the House in the bipartisan effort. Both bills would undo damaging court rulings that weakened the Texas open records law, long considered one of the strongest in the nation. SB 407 would restore access to many taxpayer-funded contracts that were placed [...]

Texas Senate approves major Public Information Act bills2017-03-28T20:20:01-05:00

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