Texas Legislature

Texas court mulls ‘magic words’ loophole for transparency law

2016-09-15T16:30:22-05:00

By Jon Cassidy Watchdog.org Originally published Sept. 14, 2016 The Supreme Court of Texas heard arguments Wednesday on whether to write a loophole into state public records law that would allow government agencies to avoid public scrutiny and disregard basic public records procedures simply by invoking “magic words.” The court could also decide to eliminate a previous loophole it created, but most of its public records decisions in recent years have favored government secrecy over the transparency that Texas law used to be known for. If the court rules for Dallas in a lawsuit the city filed against state Attorney General Ken Paxton, [...]

Texas court mulls ‘magic words’ loophole for transparency law2016-09-15T16:30:22-05:00

KXAN, Victoria Advocate receive Spirit of FOI Awards for open government work

2016-09-09T20:11:28-05:00

  AUSTIN _ Two Texas news organizations have won the Spirit of FOI Award for investigations into law enforcement actions based on documents obtained using the Texas Public Information Act. The Nancy Monson Spirit of FOI Award, presented Thursday by the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas at its state conference, was awarded to the Victoria Advocate in the Class A market category for an in-depth look at questionable hiring in the local sheriff’s office. NBC affiliate KXAN in Austin won in the Class AA large market category for “Racial Profiling Whitewash,” an investigation exposing how the Texas Department of Public [...]

KXAN, Victoria Advocate receive Spirit of FOI Awards for open government work2016-09-09T20:11:28-05:00

Yellow Cab leader touts transparency, then fights release of reports

2016-09-01T16:01:00-05:00

By Nolan Hicks Austin American-Statesman Originally published Aug. 31, 2016 When Yellow Cab Austin President Ed Kargbo went to the Capitol to address state lawmakers back in June, he hammered on one issue in particular: transparency. There was no way to verify Uber’s and Lyft’s claims they serve minority communities and disabled people, or how much their drivers were making, Kargbo said, because the ride-hailing giants refuse to release any data. “We report our data, all of our data, to a third party, the city,” Kargbo told the Texas House’s Business and Industry Committee, which held a hearing on ride-hailing rules [...]

Yellow Cab leader touts transparency, then fights release of reports2016-09-01T16:01:00-05:00

Open Government Champions: Capriglione pushes ahead with transparency agenda in Legislature

2016-08-24T16:46:11-05:00

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is one in an occasional series of opinion pieces on legislators and other Texans who are openly committed to sustaining government transparency and accountability. The articles are being prepared and distributed by the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas and the Texas Press Association. By DAVE MONTGOMERY During the 2015 Texas Legislature, while most other transparency and ethics reform proposals were headed toward the trash heap, Rep. Giovanni Capriglione secured near-unanimous passage of a new law that has enabled the public to see who benefits financially from dealings with the government. His victory in pushing through House Bill [...]

Open Government Champions: Capriglione pushes ahead with transparency agenda in Legislature2016-08-24T16:46:11-05:00

Joe Larsen: How to make Texas government less transparent

2016-08-19T15:27:30-05:00

By Joe Larsen FOI Foundation of Texas Board Member Published in The Texas Tribune Aug. 18, 2016 The bedrock laws providing Texans with access to information of and regarding their government were passed in 1973 in the wake of the Sharpstown scandal. All areas of government, with very few exceptions, benefit from transparency. But sunlight is perhaps most beneficial and necessary at that juncture where private enterprise is paid out of the public burse. That is why the ruling in the 2015 Texas Supreme Court case of Boeing v. Paxton is so pernicious. It allows both governmental bodies and the people [...]

Joe Larsen: How to make Texas government less transparent2016-08-19T15:27:30-05:00

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