At the state Capitol, the FOI Foundation of Texas supports bills promoting transparency in government and protecting the rights of free speech and free press. The foundation’s staff and volunteers advocate for legislation that strengthens the Texas Public Information Act, the Texas Open Meetings Act and other state laws. Here are updates about transparency efforts in recent Texas legislative sessions.
Rep. Todd Hunter files two major transparency bills at Texas Capitol
By Kelley Shannon Executive Director FOI Foundation of Texas Feb. 13, 2019 Two major bills in the FOI Foundation and Texas Sunshine Coalition open government legislative agenda have been filed by Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi. House Bill 1655 would restore public access to dates of birth in many public documents, including criminal justice records and candidate applications. This helps to ensure accuracy in reporting and allows [...]
Commentary: Transparency, economic development regulations are dying in Texas
By Nathan M. Jensen and Calvin Thrall University of Texas Commentary in Austin American-Statesman Originally published Feb. 6, 2019 Amazon’s search for a second headquarters, the so called HQ2, should make Texans concerned about the lack of transparency of economic development. Many cities have not released their HQ2 bids to the public, even though the competition is now complete. In Texas, none of our [...]
Editorial: Don’t bury police video with those who die in custody
By American-Statesman Editorial BoardAustin American-StatesmanOriginally published Jan. 10, 2019 Police video has the power to give an unbiased, unflinching view of what really happened — but it works only when the public is allowed to see it. We’ve seen the benefits of police camera footage clearing up the circumstances of officer-involved shootings and allowing for scrutiny of high-profile arrests. Think of what dashboard camera footage meant [...]
In reversal, city of Pharr releases city manager’s salary
By Dave Hendricks Progress TimesOriginally published Jan. 9, 2019 After attempting to keep City Manager Alex Meade’s salary a secret, Pharr announced Wednesday that “in the interest of continuing its commitment to transparency” the city would release the information. ... The Texas Public Information Act includes an exception for “information that, if released, would give advantage to a competitor or bidder.” A controversial Texas [...]
Texas Sunshine Coalition seeks greater transparency
By Ken MartinThe Austin BulldogOriginally published Jan. 7, 2019 During the 2019 legislative session, open government advocates have high hopes that this time they will be able to convince lawmakers to demolish the legal barriers created by court decisions that are preventing access to important public information. Among other things, these court decisions prevent finding out how taxpayers’ money is being spent. They also [...]
Austin police won’t release video, citing Public Information Act loophole used increasingly when suspect dies
By Josh Hinkle and Sarah RafiqueKXAN-TVOriginally published Jan. 3, 2019 The parents of a teenager who shot himself in a police patrol car have filed a federal lawsuit claiming Austin police have a pattern of performing incompetent and incomplete searches of detainees. Meanwhile, the Austin Police Department is refusing to release to the public patrol car video showing the officer's conversation with the teen. [...]