Transparency

New Texas House rules to require press members to affirm they do not lobby

2014-12-04T18:06:21-06:00

By John Reynolds The Texas Tribune Originally published Dec. 4, 2014 Members of the press will continue to be allowed on the House floor in the upcoming legislative session, but they will now be required to affirm that they do not lobby, according to procedures adopted Thursday morning by the legislative panel that manages operations of the Texas House. The normally routine procedure of credentialing media organizations received more scrutiny than usual after the conservative group AgendaWise filed suit after being denied floor access last legislative session. That suit was recently thrown out by a state appeals court after judges decided [...]

New Texas House rules to require press members to affirm they do not lobby2014-12-04T18:06:21-06:00

Lawmaker spoke to grand jury after making open government complaint

2014-11-24T16:02:06-06:00

By Bill Hanna Fort Worth Star-Telegram Originally published Nov. 23, 2014 A state representative said last week that he testified before a Henderson County grand jury after bringing a complaint against the Tarrant Regional Water District because of the way it conducts business. State Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Terrell, said he took a complaint to Henderson County District Attorney Scott McKee last summer. Gooden told the Cedar Creek Lake Area Chamber of Commerce this month that he had been contacted by a private citizen concerning allegations about the water district, according to the Athens Daily Review. “I wanted to know how they [...]

Lawmaker spoke to grand jury after making open government complaint2014-11-24T16:02:06-06:00

Watler: Old-school investigative sports reporting still relevant after all these years

2014-11-18T15:16:01-06:00

By Paul Watler Jackson Walker L.L.P. As a young lawyer in 1985, a case came my way that combined several passions: college football, newspaper journalism and the First Amendment. I was the associate attorney assigned to help apply legal muscle in support of our client, The Dallas Morning News. The newspaper's mission was to use open records law to pursue allegations that Southern Methodist University was illicitly paying football players – the pay-for-play scandal documented decades later by the ESPN 30-for-30 film, Pony Excess. Two local Dallas metro daily newspapers and a network affiliate television station intensely competed to break the story, including [...]

Watler: Old-school investigative sports reporting still relevant after all these years2014-11-18T15:16:01-06:00

Beaumont Enterprise: City undermines public confidence in Leger shooting case

2014-11-17T15:27:39-06:00

By Enterprise Editorial Staff Beaumont Enterprise Originally published Nov. 16, 2014 As Beaumont residents watch the ongoing dispute between the city government and the Leger family, they aren't seeing a public commitment to openness, accountability or community policing. Instead they are seeing a City Council and police department that are giving them reason, once again, to lose confidence in the once-troubled BPD. In response to requests for information about their actions in the June 24 shooting of Stanley Leger, police have released only the minimum amount required by law, leaving growing questions about what they are hiding and why. Last month the city asked [...]

Beaumont Enterprise: City undermines public confidence in Leger shooting case2014-11-17T15:27:39-06:00

Senate Open Government Committee hears testimony on student records

2022-03-31T17:08:43-05:00

By Kelley Shannon FOI Foundation of Texas Executive Director AUSTIN _While federal law prevents a student's record from public release once the student is in college, laws are not as clear for those who applied to but did not attend the school, witnesses told the Senate Open Government Committee on Wednesday. "There is definitely a gap there," said Carol Longoria, assistant deputy to the president of the University of Texas at Austin. However, she said, the university has successfully argued to the Attorney General's Office that applicants' records should be kept private, too. Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, chairman of the Senate [...]

Senate Open Government Committee hears testimony on student records2022-03-31T17:08:43-05:00

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