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 [...]
A case study: Getting public records is getting harder in Texas
By Caroline Love KERA Originally published Feb. 15, 2023 Editor’s note: After reports that Collin County Constable Joe Wright’s name had appeared on a membership list for an antigovernment extremist group, KERA government accountability reporter Caroline Love wanted to find out more about him. She obtained records from the Collin County Sheriff’s Office — where Wright had once worked — only after a lengthy open records battle. We asked her [...]
Texas Public Information Act’s 50th anniversary an excellent time to strengthen the landmark law
By Kelley Shannon Executive Director Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas Fifty years ago, responding to public demand in an era of reform, Texas enacted a sweeping law ensuring the people’s right to know about their government. The Texas Public Information Act – originally known as the Open Records Act when it passed in 1973 – was one of the strongest transparency laws in the nation. It allowed Texans to [...]
Texas Sunshine Coalition members unite for open government
The Texas Sunshine Coalition is a diverse group of 18 organizations recognizing the need to strengthen state transparency laws. Access to government information allows us to hold government accountable. All Texans deserve to know how our leaders are conducting business and spending taxpayer dollars. Coalition members work with lawmakers of both political parties, encouraging a bipartisan approach to open government. The Texas Sunshine Coalition will support transparency measures in the [...]
Attorney general’s office orders University of Texas to release unredacted NIL service contract
By Asher Price Axios Originally published Jan. 12, 2023 More than a year after Axios asked the University of Texas for a contract with a firm that offers advice on handling the new frontier of student-athletes and sponsorship money, the state attorney general's office forced university officials to fork over an unredacted copy. Why it matters: University administrators officially took no stance on the full release of the contract, but [...]
Waco judge vacates news media portion of gag order for retrial of ex-daycare owner
By Tommy Witherspoon KWTX Originally published Jan. 11, 2023 WACO, Texas - A Waco judge on Wednesday vacated a far-reaching gag order in the Marian Fraser murder case after KWTX attorneys convinced him that his attempt to restrict media coverage of her upcoming retrial is unconstitutional. Judge David Hodges, citing a “clear and present danger” that pretrial publicity surrounding the case could adversely affect the jury selection process, filed an order [...]
Is ERCOT shielded from lawsuits? Legal debate reaches Texas Supreme Court, may have TPIA implications
By Bob Sechler Austin American-Statesman Originally published Jan. 9, 2023 A long-standing contention by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas that it is shielded from lawsuits because of governmental immunity came under legal attack Monday during arguments before the state Supreme Court in two cases with far-reaching implications for the entity that manages the power grid. If a determination is made that ERCOT lacks such immunity, "chaos" would ensue, said [...]
Statesman: Texas lawmakers signed NDAs to quietly obtain Uvalde shooting case file
By Ryan Autullo and Tony Plohetski Austin American-Statesman Originally published Dec. 1, 2022 More than six months after a mass shooting in Uvalde, grieving families and the public are continuing a fierce fight for investigative records, including videos and officer statements, that would help reveal the full truth of the failed law enforcement response at Robb Elementary School. But as they press for answers from records that authorities insist remain [...]
FOIFT joins transparency, news media groups in court briefs to protect journalists
The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas is working with other open government and news media organizations in filing briefs in federal court cases aimed at ensuring newsgathering rights. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the Texas Association of Broadcasters and more than two dozen other groups, including FOIFT, are part of an amicus brief filed this month urging a federal appeals court to uphold a lower court's [...]
VIDEOS: FOIFT State Conference 2022
The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas state conference Sept. 29, 2022, in Austin featured expert panelists and lively discussions. Watch videos from the conference sessions and luncheon program by clicking the links below. Session 1: The First Amendment and public schools: Today’s challenges https://youtu.be/LRbND_Tu2Ec Session 2: A fresh look at Texas transparency https://youtu.be/8kLRW3b5WrM Luncheon keynote panel: State Rep. Todd Hunter and Sen. Nathan Johnson, moderated by Josh Hinkle of [...]
Scholarship honors Ralph Langer, longtime FOI Foundation president and news executive
For Immediate Release Sept. 29, 2022 Scholarship honors Ralph Langer, longtime FOI Foundation president and news executive AUSTIN – The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas announced Thursday the creation of a journalism scholarship honoring Ralph Langer, a guiding light as the foundation became the state’s leading voice on transparency and the First Amendment. The $5,000 scholarship will be awarded in early 2023 to a journalism or photojournalism undergraduate student [...]
KXAN and Corpus Christi Caller-Times win 2022 Spirit of FOI Awards
For Immediate Release Sept. 29, 2022 KXAN and Corpus Christi Caller-Times win 2022 Spirit of FOI Awards AUSTIN – Two Texas news organizations that scrutinized government programs using transparency laws and in-depth analysis have won this year’s Spirit of FOI Awards presented by the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. KXAN in Austin and the Corpus Christi Caller-Times were honored Thursday at the FOI Foundation’s state conference in Austin. The [...]