Texas Legislature

By Matt Grant KXAN Originally published April 13, 2023 Update May 4, 2023: The Texas House of Representatives gave preliminary approval to HB 30 with a vote of 112-31. AUSTIN (KXAN) — Nearly a year after 19 elementary school students and two teachers were murdered in Uvalde — followed by a steady stream of incorrect and incomplete information released to the public — Texas House lawmakers heard testimony on a bill that would end the state’s controversial “dead suspect loophole.” For years, KXAN has investigated this loophole, which allows police to keep information secret in closed criminal cases that don’t go [...]

The Texas House Committee on State Affairs heard testimony Wednesday in support of legislation that would ensure requestors can obtain public information in spreadsheet format, if it's stored that way. House Bill 2493 by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, is one of several transparency bills the diverse Texas Sunshine Coalition is working to pass this legislative session. A spreadsheet, or searchable-sortable format for large volumes of data, helps citizens better analyze information and keep a watch on government. Individual citizens, community groups, research organizations and journalists all benefit from the availability of searchable-sortable information. Rod Bordelon of the Texas Public Policy Foundation [...]