Austin American-Statesman, KVUE and KRIS win 2023 Spirit of FOI Awards
For Immediate Release Sept. 28, 2023 Austin American-Statesman, KVUE and KRIS win 2023 Spirit of FOI Awards AUSTIN – Texas news organizations that exposed the truth about law enforcement’s response to the Uvalde school shooting and revealed a district attorney’s high rate of case dismissals have won this year’s Spirit of FOI Awards. The Austin American-Statesman, KVUE-TV of Austin and KRIS-TV of Corpus Christi received the awards at the Freedom [...]
Seize the Moment: At 50-year mark, celebrate and strengthen the Public Information Act
By Kelley Shannon With trust in government waning, a Texas law can help keep a closer watch on public officials. Even citizens who continue to have faith in government can use this law to stay better informed. How is taxpayer money spent? What’s happening behind the scenes as government decisions are made? The Texas Public Information Act produces answers to these crucial questions. The act has been here for us [...]
Courthouse News Service editor Bill Girdner to receive James Madison Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 8, 2023 Courthouse News Service editor Bill Girdner to receive James Madison Award AUSTIN – Bill Girdner, the editor of Courthouse News Service who has worked to require timely news media access to court filings in Texas and across the nation, will receive the prestigious James Madison Award. The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas bestows the award on those who demonstrate outstanding commitment to the [...]
Federal judge temporarily blocks new Texas book-rating law
By Edward McKinley San Antonio Express-News Originally published Aug. 31, 2023 A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked a new Texas law that would establish a book-rating system and ban or restrict books with sexual content from Texas public schools. Austin-based Judge Alan D. Albright told lawyers that the state could not enforce the law when it was planned to take effect Friday, according to a spokesperson for plaintiffs in an ongoing lawsuit. [...]
Audit details backlog of public records requests at Austin Police Department
By Skye Seipp Austin American-Statesman Originally published Aug. 24, 2023 If you file an open records request with the Austin Police Department, you might have to wait significantly longer to receive that information than if you sought records from another city department. An audit found the Police Department has a backlog of nearly 20,000 public information requests, largely because its staff to handle these requests is 20 times smaller than [...]
Judge says DPS must release documents related to Uvalde shooting response
By William Melhado The Texas Tribune Originally published June 29, 2023 A state district judge on Thursday ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to begin the process of releasing public records related to law enforcement’s response to the Uvalde school shooting, granting a request by The Texas Tribune and other news organizations. Over a dozen news organizations sued DPS last year, accusing it of unlawfully withholding the records related [...]
Former Angelina County judge found guilty of violating Open Meetings Act
By KTRE Digital Media Staff Originally published June 28, 2023 LUFKIN, Texas (KTRE) - A former Angelina County judge has been found guilty of violating the open meetings act following his trial. Don Lymbery, the former Angelina County judge, was indicted in March 2022 along with two other county authorities in connection with violating the open meeting act. The charge stems from an Aug. 9, 2021, meeting of the three [...]
Law closing police loophole in Public Information Act to take effect Sept. 1
By Kelley Shannon Executive Director Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas A loophole in the Texas Public Information Act that many law enforcement departments use to withhold records when someone dies in police custody will be closed with a new law taking effect Sept. 1. House Bill 30 by Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, passed both the Texas House and Senate and resulted in a compromise bill that won final [...]
Texas Legislature approves open government bills in 2023 session’s final days
For Immediate Release May 29, 2023 Texas Legislature approves open government bills in session’s final days AUSTIN – Major transparency initiatives shoring up the Texas Public Information Act won approval in the state Legislature before the session’s final day Monday. The legislation now heads to Gov. Greg Abbott. A measure by Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, that won final passage Sunday night would close a legal loophole used by some [...]
Transparency bill containing TPIA improvements moves ahead in Texas Legislature
By Kelley Shannon Executive Director FOI Foundation of Texas The Texas Senate has passed a major transparency bill that would protect the rights of information requestors and help ensure the Texas Public Information Act is carried out consistently statewide. House Bill 3033 by Rep. Brooks Landgraf, R-Odessa, had already won passage in the Texas House. It was sponsored by Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, in the Senate and won approval in that [...]
Texas Senate committee approves bill closing the ‘dead suspect loophole’ in TPIA
By Kelley Shannon FOI Foundation of Texas Legislation that would close a loophole in the Texas Public Information Act used by some police departments to withhold records when a person dies in custody won approval in a Senate committee Friday. House Bill 30 by Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, and sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, was set for a sudden hearing in the Senate Business and [...]
Police used loophole in Texas law to withhold records from deceased soldier’s family
By Vianna Davila ProPublica, co-published with The Texas Tribune Originally published May 9, 2023 Texas public records law allows officials to withhold police records if no one was convicted in a case. At least one city has used this rule to deny the release of suicide records. A new bill aims to close this loophole. When Patty Troyan’s son Logan Castello died by suicide in November 2019 in his Central [...]
Transparency legislation makes progress in Texas House of Representatives
By Kelley Shannon Executive Director Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas May 9, 2023 Transparency proposals supported by the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas and the diverse Texas Sunshine Coalition have progressed in the Texas House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support. House Bill 2493 by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, is a searchable-sortable records bill requiring information to be supplied in spreadsheet format when available. The measure won final [...]
FOI Foundation of Texas announces Ralph Langer Scholarship recipients
For Immediate Release April 27, 2023 AUSTIN – The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas has named Brianna Chavez, a journalism junior at Texas State University, as the recipient of the inaugural Ralph Langer Scholarship. Alongside her journalism studies, Chavez has worked as a life and arts reporter at the University Star, Texas State’s student-run newspaper. Some of her stories have been published by the Austin American-Statesmen. Chavez, who is [...]
Protect free speech: Don’t mess with Texas’ anti-SLAPP law
Protect free speech: Don't mess with Texas' anti-SLAPP law Guest Column By Will Creeley Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression When it comes to criticizing the powerful or politically connected, the First Amendment protects the little guy. No matter who you are or how much money you have in the bank, you have the right to speak your mind. Because the Founders knew all too well the danger of granting the [...]
‘Dead suspect loophole’ bill moving forward in Texas Legislature after Uvalde
By Matt Grant KXAN Originally published April 13, 2023 Update May 4, 2023: The Texas House of Representatives gave preliminary approval to HB 30 with a vote of 112-31. AUSTIN (KXAN) — Nearly a year after 19 elementary school students and two teachers were murdered in Uvalde — followed by a steady stream of incorrect and incomplete information released to the public — Texas House lawmakers heard testimony on a [...]
House Committee hears Texas Sunshine Coalition’s searchable-sortable records bill
The Texas House Committee on State Affairs heard testimony Wednesday in support of legislation that would ensure requestors can obtain public information in spreadsheet format, if it's stored that way. House Bill 2493 by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, is one of several transparency bills the diverse Texas Sunshine Coalition is working to pass this legislative session. A spreadsheet, or searchable-sortable format for large volumes of data, helps citizens better analyze [...]
First of the Texas Sunshine Coalition bills gets hearing at Capitol
The Texas House State Affairs Committee has held a hearing on House Bill 2309 by Chairman Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi. The measure, part of the Texas Sunshine Coalition agenda, would ensure public access to dates of birth in criminal justice records and candidates' applications to run for public office. Laura Prather, co-chair of the FOIFT's legislative committee, testified in support of the bill on Wednesday, March 22. She noted that [...]
Transparency legislation at the Texas Capitol a bipartisan effort
By Kelley Shannon To witness bipartisanship at the Texas Capitol, look to the lawmakers who are working to improve open government laws. Legislators from both political parties are igniting interest in transparency and creating the opportunity for all lawmakers to protect the people’s right to know. They’re carrying on our state’s legacy of openness. When the reform-minded 1973 Legislature enacted the Texas Public Information Act, known then as the Open [...]
Uvalde records lawsuit continues, no closer to a resolution or transparency
By Caroline Ghisolfi Austin American-Statesman Originally published March 10, 2023 Nine months after the massacre at Robb Elementary School that left 21 dead and 17 injured, the Uvalde district attorney and the Texas Department of Public Safety continue to fight the release of records, First Amendment attorney Laura Lee Prather told a district judge. “Calls for transparency and accountability have run loud and clear. They’ve reverberated in public settings throughout [...]