Transparency

Attorney general rules identities and locations of nursing homes with COVID-19 outbreaks must be released

FOIFT2020-07-20T16:37:05-05:00

AUSTIN - In a strong ruling for open government, the Texas Attorney General's Office has rejected most arguments presented by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission for concealing information on nursing home names and locations where COVID-19 outbreaks have occurred. The attorney general ruling on July 6 required release of the bulk of information requested earlier this year by numerous organizations and individuals. The non-profit Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas and others called on state and local officials to reveal the names and locations of nursing homes and long-term care facilities where cases and/or deaths from COVID-19 have been [...]

Attorney general rules identities and locations of nursing homes with COVID-19 outbreaks must be releasedFOIFT2020-07-20T16:37:05-05:00

Why Austin ISD’s search for a new leader will remain confidential despite calls for transparency

FOIFT2020-07-20T15:47:48-05:00

By Melissa B. TaboadaAustin American-StatesmanOriginally published July 17, 2020 Days before the Austin school board is slated to select a new superintendent, several parents and community groups are making a final push to convince the school district to allow them to help vet the candidates in a selection process often shrouded in mystery. ... But the board has no plan to list the contenders, their answers to trustees’ interview questions or to slow down the process. Austin superintendent searches have widely varied, with some more transparent than others. Unlike the process for city managers and police chiefs, Texas law protects the [...]

Why Austin ISD’s search for a new leader will remain confidential despite calls for transparencyFOIFT2020-07-20T15:47:48-05:00

Travis County trying to withhold information about its opposition to open records legislation

FOIFT2020-07-14T22:26:19-05:00

By John EngelKXANOriginally published July 13, 2020 Travis County will ask the Attorney General’s office whether it can withhold communication about a police transparency bill that the county registered in opposition to in 2019. In response to a KXAN public information request regarding county communication about House Bill 147, which aimed to close the so-called dead suspect loophole, a county attorney said he will request guidance from the Attorney General as to whether the information has to be released under public records law. The loophole is an exemption in Texas public records law that allows law enforcement agencies to withhold information [...]

Travis County trying to withhold information about its opposition to open records legislationFOIFT2020-07-14T22:26:19-05:00

Watler: Texas should make police body cam video and citizen complaints public

FOIFT2020-06-26T15:13:41-05:00

By Paul C. WatlerOriginally published June 24, 2020 in The Dallas Morning News Many Americans protesting the death of George Floyd have demanded greater official accountability in the deaths of black citizens during encounters with police. Police face enormous challenges in fulfilling their sworn duty to protect and to serve. We send them out in our name to prevent crime and keep us safe in our homes, schools and communities. To meet that responsibility, we vest police with extraordinary power, including in some cases the use of deadly force. In the vast majority of cases, officers use their special powers in [...]

Watler: Texas should make police body cam video and citizen complaints publicFOIFT2020-06-26T15:13:41-05:00

FOI Foundation state conference to be online event in 2020

FOIFT2020-06-19T15:56:05-05:00

Because of continuing concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, the FOI Foundation of Texas state conference originally scheduled for Austin on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020, will not take place in person. Instead, we will host online open government events this fall focusing on timely transparency issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, police accountability and more. Stay tuned for further details. We look forward to returning to an in-person conference in September 2021 at the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center in Austin.

FOI Foundation state conference to be online event in 2020FOIFT2020-06-19T15:56:05-05:00

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