George P. Bush grilled on Alamo transparency
By Scott Huddleston San Antonio Express-News Originally published Dec. 5, 2018 State legislators quizzed Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush about the Alamo and a long-range master plan, and asked him to look for ways to provide more transparency in the management of the historic mission and battle site. “We need to get it more simple, and clearer,” Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, said at the conclusion of an hourlong [...]
Join fundraising spree supporting the FOI Foundation’s mission
This week marks the kickoff of a major fundraising effort by the FOI Foundation of Texas to generate donations supporting our mission of preserving open government and protecting the First Amendment rights of free speech and free press. Most likely, you are interested in this mission if you are on our website, so please join in. You can make a contribution here on our site now, or any time. Or, [...]
Judge voids Austin’s approval of development, citing Open Meetings Act violation
By Elizabeth Findell Austin American-Statesman Originally published Nov. 21, 2019 Austin city leaders did not give the public a proper heads-up about their intentions before voting to waive environmental regulations for a controversial housing development, a judge ruled Tuesday. The ruling marks the second time in just over a year that the city of Austin has been found to have violated the Texas Open Meetings Act in approving a development [...]
FOI Column: Boeing ruling stretched, twisted to keep government records secret
By Kelley Shannon Executive Director FOI Foundation of Texas Every week, government officials across Texas and private companies receiving taxpayer dollars get increasingly creative in hiding public records. Their new tool is the Boeing ruling, a decision from the Texas Supreme Court that lowered the threshold for arguing competitive bidding as an exemption from disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act. It gives governments an easier path to claim that [...]
Reversing course, Austin council to reveal city manager finalists
By Elizabeth Findell Austin American-Statesman Originally published Nov. 9, 2017 Austin City Council members will reverse course on their secret search for a city manager and release up to five finalists’ names in the next few days, a week after the American-Statesman staked out candidate interviews and sued the city over refusing to release records on the search. Stephen Newton, a representative of search firm Russell Reynolds, told the council [...]
Austin American-Statesman sues city of Austin over city manager secrecy
By Philip Jankowski and Elizabeth Findell Austin American-Statesman Originally published Oct. 31, 2017 The American-Statesman has sued the city of Austin after officials denied requests under the Texas Public Information Act to disclose the identities of finalists for city manager. The Statesman filed the suit Tuesday in a Travis County district court as the Austin City Council began the first of two days of interviewing finalists. The lawsuit seeks disclosure [...]
Austin vs. Watauga? City claims competition to keep city manager candidates secret
By Elizabeth Findell Austin American-Statesman Originally published Oct. 27, 2017 Austin can’t allow the public to know who might become its next city manager because it’s in competition with Watauga, Sachse and other small Texas cities for the best candidates, an assistant city attorney argues in a letter to the Texas attorney general. Austin begins interviews Tuesday in its nationwide search to replace former City Manager Marc Ott, who resigned more [...]
State Fair of Texas at center of public records battle
By Dave Montgomery For 24 days every autumn, throngs of visitors stream into the State Fair of Texas in Dallas for shows, music, exhibits, livestock judging, carnival rides and gastronomic delights such as corny dogs and fried butter. Millions worldwide know it as the home of Big Tex, the fair’s 55-foot animatronic cowboy. But for more than two years, the 131-year-old Dallas institution has attracted attention for another reason. It [...]
San Antonio Express-News: Form special committee on public records
Editorial Board San Antonio Express-News Originally published Oct. 22, 2017 There are several glaring and troubling loopholes in Texas’ public records law. The most troubling example comes courtesy of a 2015 Texas Supreme Court ruling that allows businesses contracting with public entities to keep those contracts and other key details secret. For years, such information was public record, the idea being the public should know how its money is being [...]
Parks and Wildlife Department keeping report on three Scouts’ deaths secret
By Jo Lee Ferguson Longview News-Journal Originally published Oct. 17, 2017 The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wants to keep secret a report on the deaths this summer of three Boy Scouts who were electrocuted while sailboating on Lake O' the Pines. The News-Journal had requested a copy of the report once it was completed, but an attorney for the agency said Monday that Texas Parks and Wildlife "believes the [...]
Denton Record-Chronicle: Open Trump Jr. speech to media
Denton Record-Chronicle Editorial Originally published Oct. 5, 2017 The Trump name wears controversy like a gaudy necklace. Sometimes it seems as if everything President Trump and his family do ends up as a subject for debate. Such is the case with Donald Trump Jr.'s upcoming speech sponsored by the University of North Texas. The Oct. 24 event set for AT&T Stadium is the latest installment of the Kuehne Speaker Series, [...]
Dallas Morning News: We urge Texas legislative leaders to get moving on protecting the public’s right to know
Dallas Morning News Editorial Originally published Oct. 3, 2017 Imagine getting the devastating news that your son died in police custody. Then imagine not being able to find out exactly what happened to him for months because officials won't release information. That describes the case of Tony Timpa, who died August 2016, less than an hour after calling 911 from a parking lot of a Dallas porn store. Dallas Morning [...]
Editorial: Government agencies are holding our records and trying to keep us from seeing them; that’s not right
Editorial Dallas Morning News Originally published Sept. 21, 2017 Here's an alarming new threat to the public's right to know: More and more government agencies around the country are suing private citizens who request access to public information, in order to keep them from seeing the records. Outrageous. There's no better protection to our democracy than our ability to hold the people we elect to public office accountable for how [...]
Clarification sought on release of police body camera videos in Texas
By Chuck Lindell Austin American-Statesman Originally published Sept. 19, 2017 Trying to make sense of an emerging area of law, a state senator has asked Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to determine whether certain footage from police body cameras could be withheld — not just from the public, but from civilian supervisors of a law enforcement agency as well. Specifically, Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, wanted to know if state [...]
Texas Railroad Commission chief’s ouster raises open meetings question
By Mike Lee E&E News Originally published Sept. 20, 2017 The head of Texas' oil and gas regulator resigned this week under pressure from one of the elected officials she reports to, touching off a dispute over whether her dismissal had been properly handled. Kim Corley, who has been executive director of the Texas Railroad Commission since last year, said she was abruptly summoned Monday to commission Chairwoman Christi Craddick's [...]
New Texas court access system raises old information demons
By Kelsey Jukam Courthouse News Service Originally published Sept. 15, 2017 AUSTIN - The checkerboard of public access in Texas courts was the focus of a conference on freedom of information earlier this week that included a bureau chief, a local clerk, a legislator and a state high court clerk. In the face of political headwinds from elected court clerks, who see a goldmine in the records, the Texas Supreme Court clerk [...]
Sen. Watson, Rep. Capriglione receive FOI Lawmaker of the Year awards
The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas has honored Sen. Kirk Watson of Austin and Rep. Giovanni Capriglione of Southlake with its Open Government Lawmaker of the Year Award. The award is presented periodically to legislators who ardently defend First Amendment principles and work to expand open government. Watson and Capriglione received the honor Thursday at the FOI Foundation of Texas state conference in Austin. Capriglione said the First Amendment [...]
Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Dallas Morning News receive Spirit of FOI Awards
For Immediate Release Sept. 14, 2017 AUSTIN _ Two Texas news organizations have won the Spirit of FOI Award for reports exposing problems with the state’s child welfare system and with one city’s police response to domestic violence. The Nancy Monson Spirit of FOI Award, presented by the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, highlights journalism that upholds First Amendment principles and promotes or uses open government laws such as [...]
Crosby plant explosion highlights state efforts to block access to chemical information
By Emma Platoff and Jim Malewitz The Texas Tribune Originally published Sept. 1, 2017 Residents of Crosby, Texas woke Thursday morning to a 40-foot plume of black smoke darkening their sky. Don’t worry, said both government officials and personnel from Arkema, the owner of the plant emitting the fumes — there’s nothing toxic in your air. Locals had little choice but to take them at their word. That's because in [...]
Transparency in government leads to real news
By Kelley Shannon Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas Whether depending on our government for storm recovery, good schools, police protection or other important services, openness and access to information are essential to ensuring the job gets done. A free flow of information helps citizens keep watch on their government. It also allows journalists to report on matters of widespread interest by scrutinizing public records and meetings and, just as [...]