Texas Legislature

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

News veteran, journalism educator Wanda Cash to receive James Madison Award

2016-08-16T17:05:17-05:00

AUSTIN – Texas newswoman Wanda Garner Cash, an educator who has led multiple newspapers and long worked for the public’s right to know, is the recipient of the 2016 James Madison Award presented by the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. The award honors those who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to upholding the principles of the First Amendment and open government. It will be presented Sept. 8 at the John Henry Faulk Awards Luncheon during the foundation’s Bernard and Audre Rapoport State Conference in Austin. “Wanda Cash has been a leading open government advocate and passionate voice for the First Amendment [...]

News veteran, journalism educator Wanda Cash to receive James Madison Award2016-08-16T17:05:17-05:00

Texas high court carves “monstrous loophole” for government secrets

2016-08-08T14:54:29-05:00

By Jim Malewitz The Texas Tribune Originally published Aug. 5, 2016 Thanks to the Texas Supreme Court, McAllen taxpayers cannot find out how much their city paid Enrique Iglesias to belt out his Latin pop lyrics at a holiday parade. And Houston cannot release, among other information, how many driver permits it has issued to ride-hailing giant Uber. A Kaufman County school district’s food service deal? Much of that is now secret, as are details of a Texas Department of Insurance contract for interpretation services. Those are a few instances among many over the past year in which Texas Attorney General [...]

Texas high court carves “monstrous loophole” for government secrets2016-08-08T14:54:29-05:00

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