Bill would limit Public Information Act use to Texans
By Madlin Mekelburg Houston Chronicle Originally published Feb. 5, 2015 A bill filed Wednesday seeks to limit the scope of the Texas Public Information Act to Texas residents. The legislation, filed by Rep. Mike Schofield, R-Katy, would allow members of a governmental body to decide if they want to deny or comply with open records requests filed by non-Texas residents. Current law stipulates public information in Texas must be made [...]
Texas House members gearing up for committee work
The Texas Capitol is abuzz today as House members start getting ready for committee work. House Speaker Joe Straus announced committee assignments Wednesday. New committee chairmen are hurriedly getting organized for meetings that will start in the next few days, while committee members are getting better acquainted with one another. The Senate has already commenced with committee meetings. To see the full list of House assignments, check out the Texas [...]
U.S. Senate Judiciary to move on FOIA reform sponsored by Cornyn, Leahy
By Mario Trujillo The Hill Originally published Feb. 3 ,2015 The Senate Judiciary Committee will consider an update to the law managing the public’s access to government records in one of its first legislative acts this year. Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Thursday will hold a markup of the FOIA Improvement Act, which unanimously passed the Senate last year but failed to make it to President Obama’s desk. Sen. Patrick [...]
Abbott tweaks controversial email destruction policy
By David Saleh Rauf San Antonio Express-News Originally published Jan. 28, 2015 AUSTIN — Gov. Greg Abbott has changed a controversial policy put in place by former Gov. Rick Perry to delete emails every seven days, extending the period to officially scrub emails to 30 days. An Abbott spokeswoman said the governor initiated the new the record retention rule on his first day on the job, Jan 20. Along with [...]
Fort Bend County withholds details of paramedic raises until after vote
By Jayme Fraser Houston Chronicle Originally published Jan. 27, 2015 Fort Bend County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved an average 22 percent increase to the wages of paramedics and EMTs after county officials refused to provide details about the proposal in the days leading up to the vote, as required by state open government laws. On Thursday, a Chronicle reporter requested details about how much wages would be increased under [...]
Dallas Morning News: How transparent is your community?
By Bob Mong Editor The Dallas Morning News Originally published Jan. 24, 2015 As a citizen, you have the right to inspect vast amounts of public information about how taxpayer dollars are spent. It’s your right. It’s the law. The law is quite specific about what is available and how quickly information should be delivered to citizens. Several enterprising Dallas Morning News reporters were determined to find out how well the Texas [...]
Hadassah Schloss to be open government director in Texas General Land Office
Open records veteran Hadassah Schloss has been named the new director of open government for the Texas General Land Office. Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced Schloss' new role Thursday. Before her promotion, Schloss served as open records coordinator for the agency. She has more than two decades of experience working on state government transparency issues. "Throughout her distinguished career Hadassah Schloss has demonstrated a commitment to upholding the highest [...]
Texas Senate changes vote procedure, eliminates open government and other committees
By Morgan Smith The Texas Tribune Originally published Jan. 21, 2015 With a new lieutenant governor installed for the first time in over a decade Wednesday — and over the cries of Democrats — the Texas Senate voted to break from an almost 70-year tradition intended to encourage compromise among its 31 members. Now the approval of only 19 senators instead of 21 will be required to bring legislation to the [...]
Bill aims to make police at private universities more transparent
By Drew Joseph San Antonio Express-News Originally published Jan. 16, 2015 A bill from a powerful state senator aims to make police departments at private universities, such as the one at the University of the Incarnate Word, subject to the same public records law that applies to other law enforcement agencies. The measure from state Sen. John Whitmire, a Houston Democrat who chairs the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, would specify [...]
Lawmakers to wait for study of committee substitute posting proposal
The Texas House, in debating its rules for the legislative session, decided Thursday to wait for the Texas Legislative Council to study a proposal that would require posting most "committee substitutes" to bills 24 hours in advance of a committee hearing. The idea put forth by Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, would give the public notice of a new version of a bill that is up for discussion in a committee [...]
FOI Foundation to press for open government at Texas Capitol
As the Legislature convenes at the state Capitol, the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas is at work preparing to promote open government and free press legislation. We'll strive to keep the Texas Public Information Act and Texas Open Meetings Act strong for the benefit of all. We'll weigh in on a multitude of bills that affect public access to information. Watch for frequent blog updates from the FOI Foundation [...]
Railroad to Texas officials: Releasing oil train reports could enable insider trading
By Curtis Tate McClatchy Washington Bureau Originally published Jan. 7, 2015 In the latest attempt to keep states from publicly releasing information about crude oil trains, one railroad argues that the disclosures could facilitate insider trading. In a Dec. 29 letter to Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, Kansas City Southern wrote that the state “should not disclose information to individuals that creates the potential for investment activity by individuals having [...]
Texas inaugural committee mum on who’s funding festivities
By Christy Hoppe The Dallas Morning News Originally published Jan. 7, 2015 AUSTIN — From preparations for their inauguration, it’s clear that Gov.-elect Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov.-elect Dan Patrick intend to dance with the ones who brung them. But it’s not that clear who will be paying for it. In a break from previous Texas inaugurations, officials said they will not release the identities of corporate and individual contributors [...]
Judge dismisses defamation lawsuit against Austin Bulldog
By Marty Toohey Austin American-Statesman Originally published Jan. 7, 2015 An Austin court has dismissed City Council Member Don Zimmerman’s campaign-season defamation lawsuit against the Austin Bulldog, an investigative reporting website. District Judge Amy Clark Meachum ruled Wednesday that Zimmerman must pay the Bulldog $8,400 in attorney’s fees, plus $579 in court costs and other expenses and a $1,000 sanction for filing a frivolous suit, according to Bulldog attorneys. Peter [...]
Houston Chronicle on free speech: Defend to the death
Houston Chronicle Editorial Originally published Jan. 7, 2015 The masked gunmen who attacked the Paris publication Charlie Hebdo yesterday stand for nothing more than the most horrid scheme that villainy can invent, and fanaticism put into practice. We borrow those words from Voltaire, the Enlightenment-era satirical writer. He has passed, but his ideals of free speech live on. So will those of Charlie Hebdo. The self-proclaimed "irresponsible newspaper" has long [...]
San Antonio debates police body cameras, public access
By Josh Baugh San Antonio Express-News Originally published Jan. 7, 2015 The City Council’s Public Safety Committee on Wednesday continued deliberating whether to outfit police officers with body cameras and also made some headway on a new contract that will recast how towing companies handle wrecks on public streets. The Police Department will likely outfit 251 police officers on downtown bike patrol and in the Park Police with small cameras [...]
Texas veterinarian heads to appeals court in free speech case
Fox 4 KBTV Updated on Jan. 5, 2015 NEW ORLEANS—Does the First Amendment apply to licensed professionals who give advice over the Internet? That is the question to be presented to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans Tuesday in a high-profile case that pits a veterinarian against the Texas Veterinary Board. Dr. Ron Hines - a disabled retiree and Texas-licensed veterinarian - had begun to use the [...]
FOIFT past president Jack Loftis, former Houston Chronicle editor, dies
Houston Chronicle By Kyrie O'Connor Originally published Dec. 30, 2014 Jack D. Loftis, who led the Houston Chronicle newsroom through space shuttle flights, the Enron scandal and the 9/11 terror attacks, has died at age 80 after a long illness. Loftis, the Chronicle's vice president and editor from 1987 to 2002, died about 10 p.m. Monday at the Gardens of Bellaire assisted living home. Loftis joined the Chronicle in 1965 [...]
FOI Foundation of Texas looks ahead to 2015
As the year comes to a close, and a new year is about to begin, the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas reminds its supporters and all open government and First Amendment advocates that the FOI Foundation is here to serve you. In 2015, we'll be tracking legislation at the Texas Capitol that affects you and your ability to participate in our democracy through free speech and open government. Keep [...]
Prime Prep Academy ordered to release documents to The Dallas Morning News
By Jeff Mosier The Dallas Morning News Originally published Dec. 21. 2014 The Texas attorney general’s office has intervened to force Prime Prep Academy to release public documents it has withheld from The Dallas Morning News for months. The troubled charter school had 10 business days to provide all the documents to the attorney general, but it appears Prime Prep will miss that Friday deadline. Edwin Flores, the school’s attorney in this [...]