State Board of Ed member fields private email controversy
By Aliyya Swaby The Texas Tribune Originally published Nov. 4, 2016 State Board of Education member David Bradley, R-Beaumont, is under fire for allegedly not releasing board-related emails from his private server in response to an open records request. The Texas Freedom Network says Bradley did not hand over all of his emails in October when the organization filed a request under the state Public Information Act. Bradley said Texas Education Agency [...]
How many racing dogs failed drug tests? In Texas, that’s confidential
By Eric Dexheimer Austin American-Statesman Originally published Nov. 6, 2016 Why would a state agency voluntarily publish information for years – and then, when directly asked for the same material, suddenly decide it’s confidential? That’s what the Texas Racing Commission did last month, in what open records experts describe as the latest example of the erosion of laws the public depends on to pry essential information from the government. The [...]
Open Meetings Act trial for Montgomery County officials, consultant reset for March 27
Three Montgomery County elected officials and a political consultant facing charges of conspiring to circumvent the Texas Open Meetings Act will have to wait at least five more months to have their day in court. Judge Randy Clapp of Wharton County set March 27, 2017 as the new trial date for Montgomery County Judge Craig Doyal, County Commissioners Charlie Riley and Jim Clark and political consultant Marc Davenport. Clapp, a [...]
Montgomery County commissioner proposes digital message board allowed under Open Meetings Act
By Catherine Dominguez Houston Chronicle Originally published Oct. 24, 2016 Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack is proposing a digital public message board that would allow the commissioners to communicate publicly outside a called meeting. While County Judge Craig Doyal said he sees some benefits, he said he isn't sure all the commissioners would use a digital message board. The court was scheduled to discuss the item at Tuesday's meeting. For [...]
FOI Foundation offers Nov. 16 Open Government Seminar in Denton
AUSTIN _ The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas will host an Open Government Seminar in Denton in November featuring training in public meetings and public records laws. The non-profit FOI Foundation, in cooperation with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office and the Mayborn School of Journalism at UNT, will offer the one-day seminar on Wednesday, Nov. 16. It is designed for government employees, journalists, attorneys and members of the [...]
Attorneys: Public has right to know details of Bryan superintendent agreement
By Elizabeth Kamenicky The Eagle Originally published Oct. 9, 2016 Two attorneys serving on the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas board said Bryan school trustees are wrong to cite a confidentiality agreement with former Superintendent Tommy Wallis as their reason for not telling the public why the top administrator suddenly resigned. In the days following the release of a 16-page exit agreement between the board and Wallis, trustees remained [...]
Reasons for Texas’ surge in pregnancy-related deaths cloaked in secrecy, bad data
By J. David McSwane and Terri Langford The Dallas Morning News Originally published Sept. 28, 2016 The rate of pregnancy-related deaths among Texas women nearly doubled in recent years, a national study found this month, while a separate state-commissioned study found black women are especially vulnerable. Researchers can't say why maternal death rates are higher in Texas than any other state, and the reasons are likely to remain hidden. That's [...]
Victoria County pays $105,000 for open records advice
By Jessica Priest Victoria Advocate Originally published Sept. 24, 2016 Victoria County paid an outside law firm about $105,000 over four years to answer open records requests. In 2015 alone, after several sheriff's office employees were investigated for wrongdoing, the county paid more than $77,000. The county made the payments to the Austin-based Allison, Bass and Magee law firm even though the elected district attorney has offered to answer the [...]
Texas court mulls ‘magic words’ loophole for transparency law
By Jon Cassidy Watchdog.org Originally published Sept. 14, 2016 The Supreme Court of Texas heard arguments Wednesday on whether to write a loophole into state public records law that would allow government agencies to avoid public scrutiny and disregard basic public records procedures simply by invoking “magic words.” The court could also decide to eliminate a previous loophole it created, but most of its public records decisions in recent years have [...]
Headliners Foundation of Texas announces FOI grants program
Headliners Foundation of Texas Sept. 6, 2016 AUSTIN - The Headliners Foundation of Texas has embarked on a one-year pilot program of grants to reimburse small-market and community news organizations in Texas for extraordinary expenses charged by governmental bodies for Open Records searches. The grant application process will open September 6, 2016, and will continue until the 2016 Foundation funding for the grants is awarded. Click here for the Foundation’s media release [...]
Open government advocates call for fix in Texas public records act
AUSTIN, Texas — Open government advocates want lawmakers to fix what they call a loophole in the state’s Public Information Act. Time Warner Cable News reported on this issue at the Sept. 8 state conference of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas: http://www.twcnews.com/tx/austin/news/2016/09/8/open-government-advocates-call-for-fix-to-public-records-issue.html
KXAN, Victoria Advocate receive Spirit of FOI Awards for open government work
AUSTIN _ Two Texas news organizations have won the Spirit of FOI Award for investigations into law enforcement actions based on documents obtained using the Texas Public Information Act. The Nancy Monson Spirit of FOI Award, presented Thursday by the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas at its state conference, was awarded to the Victoria Advocate in the Class A market category for an in-depth look at questionable hiring [...]
Yellow Cab leader touts transparency, then fights release of reports
By Nolan Hicks Austin American-Statesman Originally published Aug. 31, 2016 When Yellow Cab Austin President Ed Kargbo went to the Capitol to address state lawmakers back in June, he hammered on one issue in particular: transparency. There was no way to verify Uber’s and Lyft’s claims they serve minority communities and disabled people, or how much their drivers were making, Kargbo said, because the ride-hailing giants refuse to release any [...]
Open Government Champions: Capriglione pushes ahead with transparency agenda in Legislature
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 During the 2015 Texas Legislature, while most other transparency and ethics reform proposals were headed toward the trash heap, Rep. [...]
Joe Larsen: How to make Texas government less transparent
By Joe Larsen FOI Foundation of Texas Board Member Published in The Texas Tribune Aug. 18, 2016 The bedrock laws providing Texans with access to information of and regarding their government were passed in 1973 in the wake of the Sharpstown scandal. All areas of government, with very few exceptions, benefit from transparency. But sunlight is perhaps most beneficial and necessary at that juncture where private enterprise is paid out [...]
Victoria sheriff stops releasing jail mug shots
By Jessica Priest Victoria Advocate Originally published Aug. 13-14, 2016 The Victoria County Sheriff is not releasing mug shots to the public at the same time others in the region are becoming more transparent. Sheriff T. Michael O'Connor is concerned he will be sued by those whose mug shots he releases who are later found innocent of a crime. However, no sheriff has ever been sued for that reason and [...]
News veteran, journalism educator Wanda Cash to receive James Madison Award
AUSTIN – Texas newswoman Wanda Garner Cash, an educator who has led multiple newspapers and long worked for the public’s right to know, is the recipient of the 2016 James Madison Award presented by the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. The award honors those who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to upholding the principles of the First Amendment and open government. It will be presented Sept. 8 at the John [...]
Texas high court carves “monstrous loophole” for government secrets
By Jim Malewitz The Texas Tribune Originally published Aug. 5, 2016 Thanks to the Texas Supreme Court, McAllen taxpayers cannot find out how much their city paid Enrique Iglesias to belt out his Latin pop lyrics at a holiday parade. And Houston cannot release, among other information, how many driver permits it has issued to ride-hailing giant Uber. A Kaufman County school district’s food service deal? Much of that is [...]
Court rulings taking a toll on Texas public records access
By Kelley Shannon Those of us who keep a close eye on Texas’ evolving open government laws watch the state Legislature for signs of change. We also look at how local and state government agencies carry out these laws to see if they are working. But we must focus on the courts, too. Troubling rulings by the Texas Supreme Court and lower courts are watering down our Texas Public Information [...]
Open Government Champions: Clardy presses for public’s right to know
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 GARY BORDERS State Rep. Travis Clardy, R-Nacogdoches, in his two terms in the Legislature has proven to be a strong proponent for [...]