Texas House members have chance to save open government
By Kelley Shannon Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas Keeping our Texas Public Information Act operating effectively takes effort. That’s why open government advocates have worked with public officials and businesses over the past year to fine tune the landmark state law. Transparency legislation resulting from these work sessions emerged out of frank discussions – and with an understanding that some compromise is necessary. Now, state lawmakers have the opportunity [...]
Texas Senate approves open government measures, sends them to House
After several major open government measures stalled in the House Government Transparency and Operation Committee a few days ago, the Texas Senate breathed new life into the legislation Thursday by adding the bills onto a Texas Public Information Act proposal. Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, amended House Bill 2328 by Rep. Eddie Lucio III, D-Brownsville, on the Senate floor. Included in the amendments were issues contained in legislation by Watson, Rep. [...]
San Antonio Express-News: Lawmakers should let in sunshine
San Antonio Express-News Editorial Board Originally published May 7, 2017 Make no mistake: If state lawmakers leave a number of open government bills hanging this session, the public will be left in the dark. A number of promising bills to make government more accountable and open to the public have been filed, but they were all, as of this writing, pending in committee. The legislation addresses any number of tricks [...]
Guest column: Tell legislators openness needed in government
By Donnis Baggett Published in the Houston Chronicle Originally published April 28, 2017 There's no question Texans are suspicious of government. That's why virtually everyone who ran for the Legislature last year sang the patriotic song of transparency. Unfortunately, campaign season is now a distant memory. Lawmakers have spent four months in the company of lobbyists who are good at convincing legislators that the interests of their clients are more [...]
Numerous transparency bills get hearing at Texas Capitol
Major bills at the center of the FOI Foundation of Texas open government agenda had hearings Monday in the House Government Transparency and Operations Committee, including proposals to restore public access cut off by two Texas Supreme Court rulings. "We have the right to know how much was spent, and we have the right to look at those contracts," said Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, as he described House Bill 792, [...]
Police withheld records of their son’s death; now they know why
By Eric Dexheimer Austin American-Statesman Originally published April 20, 2017 Kathy and Robert Dyer received the phone call out of every parent’s nightmares at 3 a.m. on Aug. 14, 2013. A Mesquite police officer was telling them their 18-year-old son, Graham, was in the hospital with a serious head injury. They should come as quickly as possible. They sped in the dark south to Dallas from their home on a [...]
Texas House considers bills to erode press protection, expose journalists, bloggers to more lawsuits
By J. David McSwane The Dallas Morning News Originally published April 12, 2017 AUSTIN — Plans to force journalists to reveal their sources and further expose media outlets to lawsuits made strange bedfellows Wednesday as leaders of journalism advocacy groups attacked two bills alongside members of a far-right fundraising and propaganda outfit. During a House committee hearing, two bills authored by Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian, drew protests from prominent First Amendment attorneys who [...]
Call for entries: 2017 Spirit of FOI Awards
The FOI Foundation of Texas is pleased to announce 2017 guidelines for the Nancy Monson Spirit of FOI Award contest. The contest is open to newspaper, broadcast and online media. The Spirit of FOI Award recognizes outstanding work in promoting open government and the public’s right to know. The deadline for submission of entries is Thursday, May 18, 2017. Nominations must be for work published or broadcast in calendar year [...]
Judge rules portion of Texas Open Meetings Act unconstitutional
By Jesse Mendoza Community Impact Newspaper Originally published April 4, 2017 Presiding Judge Randy Clapp of Wharton County’s 329th District Court ruled that a portion of the Texas Open Meetings Act is unconstitutional—thus dismissing the case against Montgomery County Judge Craig Doyal and other officials. The case, which was heard in Montgomery County’s 221st District Court, brought to question whether Doyal, Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley, Precinct 4 Commissioner Jim [...]
Austin American-Statesman: Austin abandons transparency in search for new city manager
By Editorial Board Austin American-Statesman Originally published April 1, 2017 The Austin City Council should reverse its decision to conduct a secret search for the next city manager to lead Austin, one of the fastest-growing metropolises in the nation. A closed search would obstruct Austin residents from having a meaningful say in the selection of a manager charged with running most every aspect of city government, either directly or indirectly. [...]
Texas Senate approves major Public Information Act bills
The Texas Senate passed two major bills Tuesday that would restore public access to government records showing how taxpayer money is spent. Senate Bill 407 and Senate Bill 408 are both authored by state Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin. They won final Senate passage and now move on to the House of Representatives. Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, filed identical bills in the House in the bipartisan effort. Both bills would undo [...]
Montgomery County case tests strength of open meetings law
By Mike Snyder Houston Chronicle Originally published March 23, 2017 It must have seemed like such a simple solution. The chairman of Pasadena's tax-funded economic development agency wanted its board to hear a presentation from an engineering firm last November. But no public notice had been posted, as the Texas Open Meetings Act requires. So Roy Mease, the chairman of the Pasadena Second Century Corp., divided the board into two [...]
Texas must act now to repair damage to Public Information Act
By Kelley Shannon Executive Director Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas We Texans are fortunate when it comes to access to government information. Correction. We were fortunate. For more than 40 years, Texas’ open records law was one of the nation’s strongest. The Texas Public Information Act, originating during a time of scandal in the early 1970s, presumes all government records are available to citizens, unless there’s a specific exception [...]
Some Texas lawmakers want to close open records loophole
By Nicole Cobler San Antonio Express-News Originally published Feb. 28, 2017 Some state lawmakers are aiming to close an open records loophole in light of a 2015 Texas Supreme court ruling that allows governments to withhold records turned over to agencies by businesses. Lawmakers debated a slew of open records legislation in a Senate hearing Tuesday, including Sen. Kirk Watson’s bill that responds to the 2015 Boeing ruling by the [...]
Senate committee hears Boeing, Greater Houston Partnership repair bills
AUSTIN - Witnesses who support repairing the Texas Public Information Act and boosting citizens' access to records showing how taxpayer money is spent urged a state Senate committee Tuesday to rework parts of the act. Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, in a hearing before the Senate Business and Commerce Committee, presented legislation that would strengthen the Public Information Act. Senate Bill 407 and Senate Bill 408, respectively, would undo two Texas [...]
Open Government Champions: Former teacher, Austin activist effectively uses Texas Public Information Act
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 As an elementary school teacher more than a decade ago, Zenobia Joseph often found herself wondering why students entered her [...]
Senators vow to fight confidential agreements they had to sign before viewing vote complaints
By Nicole Cobler San Antonio Express-News Originally published Feb. 9, 2017 AUSTIN — Two Texas senators are promising to fight confidential agreements they signed before being allowed to view voter fraud complaints reported to the secretary of state’s office. Their plan to make the information public follows newly nominated Secretary of State Rolando Pablos’ declaration in a Senate committee hearing last week that “there is voter fraud in Texas, and [...]
Texas Supreme Court ruling expands government exception for attorney-client privilege
By Chuck Lindell Austin American Statesman Originally published Feb. 3, 2017 In another decision that has alarmed open government advocates, the Texas Supreme Court on Friday carved out a special exception for public access to government information involving communication with lawyers. The 7-2 ruling said protecting attorney-client privilege is too important to force governments to disclose such information, even if the Texas Public Information Act’s requirements aren’t followed. Attorney-client privilege [...]
Texas clerks look to derail web-based public access to court records
By Ryan Autullo Austin American-Statesman Originally published Jan. 30, 2017 Texas court clerks are resisting a state proposal they say would strip them of their constitutional authority by making court documents available online for easy public access. The statewide database, re:SearchTX, holds records from all 254 counties and is backed by the state’s Supreme Court. It currently is used by judges and soon will be available to attorneys and the public [...]
Texas Supreme Court denies Wallace Hall’s bid for UT records
By Chuck Lindell Austin American Statesman Originally published Jan. 27, 2017 University of Texas System Regent Wallace Hall Jr. is not entitled to confidential records of an investigation into UT admissions, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday. The unanimous court ruled that Chancellor Bill McRaven did not exceed his authority in denying the records to Hall over concerns that access to private student information would violate the federal Family Educational [...]