Sunshine Week Column: Sun starting to shine again on Texas government
By Kelley Shannon Texans have something to celebrate during Sunshine Week this year. But we also have more work to do to protect the public’s right to know about our government. Sunshine Week, March 15-21, is an annual national initiative proclaiming the importance of access to public information. First, the bright spot for Texas: Essential elements of contracts between governments and private companies – including pricing and promises – are [...]
POSTPONED: FOI Foundation’s Open Government Seminar in San Antonio to be rescheduled
The FOI Foundation's Open Government Seminar in San Antonio, previously scheduled for April 8, has been postponed amid coronavirus concerns and stay-at-home orders. Please stay tuned for the reschedule date, tentatively planned for June. The Open Government Seminar is part of a series of regional educational sessions the non-profit Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas is hosting this year in cooperation with the Texas Attorney General’s Office. It is open [...]
Roe v. Wade was filed 50 years ago, but Texas still won’t release the full legal files
By Karen BlumenthalOpinion piece in The Dallas Morning NewsOriginally published March 8, 2020 Getting state and local government records of any kind, especially those of a famous legal case that is nearly 50 years old, should not require a lawyer or a bucket of cash. The state’s Public Information Act is supposed to compel state and local governmental bodies to release records to those who request them within 10 business [...]
Austin officials fast-track new policy to release online videos of critical incidents
By Katie HallAustin American-StatesmanOriginally published March 2, 2020 Austin police are on track to begin releasing available video footage of new critical incidents by the end of this month under a new policy, police officials say. The video release policy — modeled after the Los Angeles Police Department’s rules on sharing footage — comes after the Austin City Council directed the police department in February to produce a clear protocol [...]
Odessa American files lawsuit against city of Odessa
By Laura DennisOdessa AmericanOriginally published Jan. 31, 2020 The Odessa American has filed a lawsuit against the City of Odessa to force the city to release public crime records in a timely manner and in accordance with state law. For months, the OA has battled the city to provide public documents to both the OA and the public that includes police reports and probable cause affidavits in a timely manner [...]
Photojournalist fights for First Amendment rights, supports FOI Foundation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AUSTIN – Freelance photojournalist Avi S. Adelman, who received a $345,000 legal settlement after he was arrested when taking photographs in a public place in Dallas, has become a major supporter of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas The Dallas Area Rapid Transit board of directors voted in October to settle a civil rights lawsuit filed by Adelman over his arrest by a DART police officer [...]
Know your open government rights, remember these basics
By Kelley ShannonExecutive DirectorFOI Foundation of Texas Whatever our political views, certainly we can agree we have the right to know how government is conducting business. How are taxpayer dollars spent? Who is influencing decisions? Access to information allows us to speak up and hold public officials accountable, while a lack of transparency diminishes trust in government. The Texas Public Information Act and Texas Open Meetings Act are the state’s [...]
Open government seminar set for Feb. 25 in Corpus Christi
CORPUS CHRISTI – Transparency experts will gather Tuesday, Feb. 25, in Corpus Christi for a seminar examining updates to state open government laws and offering training on the Texas Public Information Act and the Texas Open Meetings Act. Rep. Todd Hunter of Corpus Christi is hosting the one-day open government conference, joined by the non-profit Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas in cooperation with the Texas Attorney General’s Office. “Open [...]
Partial records released: TRS rent starts at $326,000 per month
By Bob SechlerAustin American-StatesmanOriginally published Jan. 24, 2020 The Teacher Retirement System of Texas has disclosed partial costs of its office lease in an upscale high-rise under construction in downtown Austin, seven months after the American-Statesman first asked for financial details about it and the state agency sought to keep it secret. The starting base lease rate disclosed by the retirement system — which has an investment relationship with one [...]
Odessa American says city violating public information laws
By Royal McGregorOdessa AmericanOriginally published Jan. 16, 2020 Signs point to another legal battle brewing between the Odessa American and the City of Odessa following a crackdown by the city on releasing crime information. The OA for decades has received prompt response for requests for information about crime in Odessa but that grinded to an almost standstill following a mass shooting in Odessa on Aug. 31. Some elected officials were [...]
Under new Texas law, records finally released: McAllen paid Enrique Iglesias $485,000 for holiday parade
By Mitchell FermanThe MonitorOriginally published Jan. 7, 2020 The city of McAllen paid singer Enrique Iglesias $485,000 for his performance at the city’s 2015 holiday parade, the city disclosed on Tuesday, ending more than four years of city officials keeping the contract private. The contract also revealed that the city chartered a flight to fly in Iglesias from Guadalajara, purchased 24 hotel rooms for two nights and provided and paid [...]
Newly enacted Texas law to shine light on spending of taxpayer money
By Asher PriceAustin American-StatesmanOriginally published Jan. 3, 2020 How much taxpayer money did the University of Texas pay the rapper Ludacris to perform after a spring football game last year? Or how much money is the Teacher Retirement System paying for new digs in downtown Austin? Public entities declined to release information that would answer either of these questions, posed by the American-Statesman, citing rulings handed down by the Texas [...]
FOI Foundation files amicus brief in gag order case stemming from Amber Guyger trial
By Dana BranhamThe Dallas Morning NewsOriginally published Dec. 5, 2019 Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot filed a motion Thursday seeking dismissal of his contempt case, in which he is accused of violating a gag order in the murder trial of former Dallas police Officer Amber Guyger for the fatal shooting of Botham Jean. State District Judge Tammy Kemp, who presided over Guyger’s trial, filed a show-cause order in October [...]
Support FOI on Giving Tuesday
Help us promote open government and protect the First Amendment rights of free speech and free press. Make a donation to the FOI Foundation of Texas on "Giving Tuesday," Dec. 3, a global day of contributing to non-profits.Your contribution supports programming across the Lone Star State including regional open government seminars we will host during 2020. The first one is set for Feb. 25 in Corpus Christi. More details are coming soon.We are also revamping and expanding our [...]
The inauguration of Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick cost millions. Much of it went to fundraising and staff.
By Shannon Najmabadi and Jay RootThe Texas TribuneOriginally published Nov. 18, 2019 Spending on each of the last two inaugurations eclipsed that of any other in Texas for at least 40 years, even when adjusted for inflation. A spokesman for the governor has said no state dollars were spent on the festivities. The money spent on personnel, including payroll and fundraising, has skyrocketed during Gov. Greg Abbott's two swearing-in celebrations, [...]
Some public officials confused over new law allowing public comment at meetings
By Steve MillerThe Texas MonitorOriginally published Nov. 7, 2019 The Amarillo City Council once tried to ban clapping at its meetings, then decided to start meeting at 7 a.m., a move some local critics claimed was done to reduce public input. Finally, last year, the council moved all public comments to a work session an hour before the regular meeting. In South Texas, Hidalgo County commissioners and the city councils of [...]
New SMU law clinic to focus on First Amendment
DALLAS – The SMU Dedman School of Law will launch a First Amendment Clinic in Fall 2020, thanks to a generous gift of $900,000 from the Stanton Foundation. The clinic will focus on First Amendment issues including free speech, freedom of the press and freedom of assembly and petition. First Amendment attorney Tom Leatherbury, a partner at Vinson & Elkins LLP, will serve as an adjunct professor and direct the clinic. [...]
Texas Tribune suing to see receipts for $5.3 million Texas inauguration
By Jay Root and Shannon NajmabadiThe Texas TribuneOriginally published Oct. 9, 2019 The Texas Tribune is suing to discover what happened to millions raised mostly from top lobbying firms, corporations, wealthy businesspeople and trade groups for the inauguration of Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Read the full story here.
Federal lawsuit challenges Texas drone law, arguing it unconstitutionally restricts visual journalists
Issued by NPPAFor Immediate ReleaseSept. 26, 2019 Austin, Tx. – The National Press Photographers Association, the Texas Press Association and an independent journalist filed a lawsuit today in Austin federal court challenging a Texas law— Texas Government Code Chapter 423—that makes it a crime for visual journalists and others to use drones for newsgathering and other similar activities. Texas’s drone law is among the most restrictive in the country. Chapter 423 makes [...]
FOI Foundation of Texas urges media, public access at immigration court proceedings
For Immediate Release Sept. 24, 2019 AUSTIN _ The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas today expressed deep concern regarding the lack of media and public access to judicial proceedings being held in makeshift immigration courts on the Texas-Mexico border. Public and media access to immigration-related judicial proceedings should be unfettered; both the U.S. Constitution and this country’s long and proud tradition of open courts mandate full transparency. Allowing public [...]