PIA

New Texas AG ruling keeps governor’s old travel security records secret

FOIFT2014-08-13T14:58:35-05:00

By Jay Root The Texas Tribune Originally published Aug. 13, 2014 After critics raised a stink about the tax dollars being spent to provide security for Gov. Rick Perry while he was gearing up to run for president, lawmakers passed a bill in 2011 designed to let Texans know — eventually — what they were getting for their money. Now, thanks to a new ruling from the office of Attorney General Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety will not have to provide itemized travel records for the security detail after all. The DPS is still releasing the overall spending, with figures broken down into [...]

New Texas AG ruling keeps governor’s old travel security records secretFOIFT2014-08-13T14:58:35-05:00

Watchdog column: Is DART stalling on records request?

FOIFT2014-08-08T14:22:38-05:00

By Dave Lieber The Dallas Morning News Originally published Aug. 7, 2014 Let’s pretend today that I run my own court. Watchdog Nation’s Court of Open Government. We pretend to prosecute governments who we think violate the spirit of the Texas Public Information Act. (Hey, somebody has to, because in real life it almost never happens.) You play judge. Today I unseal a four-count pretend indictment for obstruction of release of public records against Dallas Area Rapid Transit. Yep, I’m throwing a dart at DART. Opening statement Last year, I filed an open records request seeking copies of public complaints about [...]

Watchdog column: Is DART stalling on records request?FOIFT2014-08-08T14:22:38-05:00

Appeals court panels rules El Paso did all it could to retrieve officials’ emails

FOIFT2014-08-05T15:15:30-05:00

By Marty Schladen El Paso Times Originally published Aug. 4, 2014 A panel of appellate judges sitting in Austin has thrown out a lawsuit claiming that the city of El Paso has refused to release public records related to the controversial ballpark project. The activist bringing the suit, El Paso lawyer Stephanie Townsend Allala, now is deciding whether to appeal the ruling to the entire Third Court of Appeals, her attorney Bill Aleshire said in an email. The ruling, dated Friday, said that the city did all it could to retrieve emails by city officials related to the ballpark project in [...]

Appeals court panels rules El Paso did all it could to retrieve officials’ emailsFOIFT2014-08-05T15:15:30-05:00

Change in sheriff’s public information policy poses access problems

FOIFT2014-07-22T14:31:11-05:00

By Karen Antonacci The Monitor Originally published July 20, 2014 When the story of an appeals court judge arrested July 12 after failing a sobriety test broke later that afternoon, local media ran with the only photo they had of her — a coiffed glamour shot that graced her 2012 campaign signs. Nora Lydia Longoria, who was elected in 2012 to the 13th Court of Appeals, where she serves a 20-county area with four other justices, looks much different in her mug shot —tired with bloodshot eyes. The picture was included in a news release the McAllen police department issued Monday [...]

Change in sheriff’s public information policy poses access problemsFOIFT2014-07-22T14:31:11-05:00

Abbott stands by transparency record some say is mixed

FOIFT2014-07-21T15:51:22-05:00

By Terri Langford The Texas Tribune Originally published July 17, 2014 Ask Texas Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial hopeful Greg Abbott about his record on providing the public greater access to government records and he will tell you it is one worth bragging about. He has aggressively pursued open records training for state and elected officials, and been honored for his work keeping Texas government transparent. “There really is no attorney general who’s had a greater proven record of achieving more transparency and more openness than myself,” Abbott told The Texas Tribune in an interview last week. But open government advocates find the transparency record of [...]

Abbott stands by transparency record some say is mixedFOIFT2014-07-21T15:51:22-05:00

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