FOI Spotlight: Mobile apps and public access in Texas government
By Kelley Shannon FOI Foundation of Texas Executive Director AUSTIN _ Two Texas House committees met Wednesday to consider how to make more government records accessible to the public through mobile apps. The House Government Efficiency and Reform Committee held a joint hearing with the House Technology Committee and heard invited testimony from Texas state agency officials and a Florida state representative about how records are already being made available [...]
Improperly worded agenda delays discussion of El Paso city manager selection
By Cindy Ramirez El Paso Times Originally published May 19, 2014 A special council meeting intended to answer questions about the city manager selection process on Monday lasted only about 15 minutes when the city attorney said the agenda item was not properly worded. City Attorney Sylvia Borunda Firth advised the City Council that the agenda item was a discussion "concerning the quality of legal advice and performance of city [...]
Analysis: Hall saga begins with closed meeting, could end with a stage, spotlight
By Ross Ramsey The Texas Tribune Originally published May 16, 2014 This episode of the Wallace Hall saga begins with state lawmakers holding a transparency meeting in private. Some groups objecting to that opacity are financed by donors they will not reveal, some of whom aim, as Hall does, to change the way things are done in higher education in Texas. And it could very well end with a stage, [...]
City Council looks at videoconferencing in meetings
By Stephen Burnett Community Impact Newspaper Originally published May 14, 2014 Cedar Park City Council on May 8 discussed how to address legal requirements and technical challenges that would impede City Council members from joining special-called meetings remotely by video. Place 3 Councilman Lyle Grimes said he supports Cedar Park pursuing the idea once the city has an estimate for equipment costs. Place 5 Councilman Jon Lux said City Council may want to wait until another [...]
Mayor, city attorney respond to allegations City Council violated open meetings law
By KVIA.com Originally published May 13, 2014 There was some confusion over how El Paso's City Council was able to announce its top choice for city manager when there was no vote.Mayor Oscar Leeser told the media Monday that City Council had discussed in executive session the conclusions of the committee that interviewed the city manager candidates and "came to a consensus" to move forward with Tommy Gonzalez. Gonzalez is [...]
House transparency committee concludes grounds exist for regent’s impeachment
By Madlin Mekelburg, Jacob Kerr and Jordan Rudner The Daily Texan Originally published May 12, 2014 Updated (2:56 p.m.): In a statement distributed by attorney Allan Van Fleet, Regent Wallace Hall said his impeachment would not solve the problems he has identified at UT System institutions. "When a Board encounters problems, coverups, and intransigence at a taxpayer-funded institution, is the proper response to hold those who are responsible accountable, or to [...]
Attorneys allege judge abused court’s discrection in closing hearings
By Deanna Boyd Fort Worth Star-Telegram Originally published May 9, 2014 FORT WORTH — State District Judge Jean Boyd abused the court’s discretion when she recently barred the media and public from two juvenile hearings, attorneys for several local media outlets allege in a court petition filed Friday. The petition, filed Friday afternoon with Fort Worth’s Second District Court of Appeals, is the latest in a legal fight that began [...]
FOIFT’s Light of Day project results in student stories on university fees
Students at Texas State University this semester tracked data on student fees as part of the FOI Foundation's Light of Day Project and used the information to report news stories. Here is one of the recently published student articles. By Catherine O'Hara The University Star Originally published April 22, 2014 The Study Abroad Office saw a record number of scholarship applications funded by the International Education Fee during summer 2014, [...]
NAACP officials sue Houston ISD over alleged Open Meetings Act violation
By Ericka Mellon Houston Chronicle Originally published May 7, 2014 Two Houston NAACP officers filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to stop the Houston school district from turning Jones High into a specialty school without athletics or a traditional attendance zone. The suit filed by former Houston school board member Carol Galloway and James Douglas, vice presidents of the NAACP, alleges that the Houston Independent School District violated the state's open-meetings [...]
Attorney seeks records from McAllen newspaper, TV stations in lawsuit
The Monitor Originally published May 6, 2014 McALLEN — An attorney who filed a civil lawsuit against Gamehaus Gastropub wants records from The Monitor and five local TV stations about a fatal shooting outside the popular bar Jan. 31 — including all interview notes, video footage and photographs from news reporters. Attorney Efrain Carrera requested records from The Monitor and the five local TV stations April 17. The Monitor is fighting the request and, through its [...]
FOI Foundation of Texas to hold Open Government Seminar in Rio Grande Valley
The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas is hosting an Open Government Seminar for Rio Grande Valley residents featuring training in the state’s public meetings and public records laws. The non-profit FOI Foundation, partnering with Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office, will offer the one-day seminar on Tuesday, June 17, in McAllen. It's designed for government employees, journalists and members of the general public who want to learn more [...]
Schools hire monitors to patrol students’ off-campus online speech
By Samantha Vicent Student Press Law Center Originally published in SPLC Report, Winter 2014 Issue At the start of the 2013 school year, students at Hoover High School in California’s Glendale Unified School District were surprised to discover their school district had been paying GeoListening, a social media monitoring company, to keep tabs on their online activity for more than a year without their knowledge. GeoListening isn’t the only company [...]
Alleged Open Meetings Act violations, other troubles plague charter school
By Brett Shipp WFAA Originally published May 1, 2014 FORT WORTH — For nearly two years, Deion Sanders' Prime Prep Academy has been plagued by allegations of financial and academic mismanagement. Last fall, the Texas Education Agency opened an investigation. Yet, the state education commissioner now says it's too early to intervene. The last time WFAA checked in on Prime Prep Academy, the landlord at the Fort Worth campus was evicting [...]
FOI Spotlight: House committee hears testimony on ‘dark money’
By Kelley Shannon FOI Foundation of Texas Executive Director AUSTIN _ Texans have the right "to make a very informed decision" when choosing their elected officials, the chairman of the House State Affairs Committee said Thursday during a hearing on what to do about tracking so-called dark money in campaigns. "This affects their voting decisions," said Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, who chairs the State Affairs Committee, which held a hearing [...]
Registration open for FOIFT annual conference
Registration is open for the FOI Foundation's Bernard and Audre Rapoport annual conference taking place in Austin on Friday, Sept. 12, 2014. Sessions are expected to address access to courts; best practices in public records requests; and upcoming open government efforts in the Legislature. The John Henry Faulk Luncheon taking place during the conference will feature presentation of the FOIFT's James Madison Award and the State Bar's Gavel Awards. Click [...]
Court ruling gets audit a step closer to becoming public
By Stevie Poole A-J Media Originally published April 28, 2014 A story more than a decade in the making is a step closer to being told. On Friday, the Texas Supreme Court refused to hear a case HealthSmart Holdings Inc. initiated, hoping to keep an audit of Lubbock’s former insurance administrator private. “If they did decline to hear it and if it has been determined that the audit needs to [...]
Open Government Seminar heads to Houston this week
The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas is hosting an Open Government Seminar in Houston this Wednesday, April 30, in cooperation with the Attorney General's Office. FOIFT is offering these seminars throughout the state. The public is invited. Government officials can get state-required open government training credit, and attorneys can obtain Continuing Legal Education hours. Come learn more about the Texas Public Information Act and Texas Open Meetings Act at [...]
Dallas attorneys fight to keep records secret after missing deadlines
By Steve Thompson The Dallas Morning News Originally published April 22, 2014 Lawyers for the city of Dallas are taking on the Texas attorney general’s office in court, hoping to escape a penalty for missing deadlines triggered by public information requests. The outcome will have “a sweeping impact” on state open records law, a brief by the attorney general says. The city has a spotty record of handling public information [...]
Transparency committee to vote on impeachment recommendation in May
By Reeve Hamilton The Texas Tribune Originally published April 24, 2014 A legislative committee that is investigating University of Texas System Regent Wallace Hall plans to vote at a hearing on May 12 whether to recommend articles of impeachment to the full House. If it requires more time, the vote may not come until May 13. The House Select Committee on Transparency in State Agency Operations met on Thursday for the [...]
Texas journalism colleagues, friends remember Ken Bunting
By Tim Madigan Fort Worth Star-Telegram Originally published April 21, 2014 On Saturday, former Star-Telegram Executive Editor Mike Blackman wrote briefly on Facebook about a young business acquaintance who had died unexpectedly. “To know that he is no longer with us is quite sad,” Blackman wrote. “I’m not a touchy-feely guy, but this is true — make amends, be patient and let others know how grateful you are to have [...]