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Photo by Jorge Salgado El Paso Mayor Dee Margo appears to have sidestepped the city’s public information rules and state law during negotiations with arena opponents earlier this year. An El Paso Inc. review of 155 pages of emails and documents, obtained from arena opponents and through public information requests, found that at least seven emails sent and received by the mayor from his personal email account were not forwarded to his official city account. The city should have produced those emails, which involve city business, in response to El Paso Inc.’s public information request but they were missing. [...]

Comptroller Glenn Hegar will be the keynote luncheon speaker at the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas state conference on Friday, Sept. 21, in Austin. Hegar will address transparency initiatives his office is overseeing to encourage all governmental entities to make their financial records publicly accessible. The one-day conference "Texas: Let the Sun Shine" will also feature panel discussions on college campus free speech, news reporting on difficult issues and the newly formed Sunshine Coalition. Keep an eye on this website for more information on speakers and the detailed agenda. Registration is open. Early bird rates are available until Sept. 8. Conference [...]

Sunshine Week is March 11-17, 2018. It's a nationally declared week to celebrate open government and the people's right to know. In Texas, we are celebrating Sunshine Month to highlight our many activities this month aimed at letting the sun shine on our government and opening up access to public records. We'll be posting events and ideas throughout the month, so stay tuned. Mark your calendars now for a March 29 open government primer at the Texas Public Policy Foundation offices in Austin. It's a panel discussion called "Open Government, Engaged Citizens: A  Conversation of Texas' Public Information Act. Register here to reserve [...]