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Watson, Capriglione bills close loopholes in open records law

2017-01-03T23:07:08-06:00

Tuesday, January 3, 2017 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACTS: Kate Alexander, Office of Sen. Kirk Watson: (512) 463-0114 Courtney Roberts, Office of Rep. Giovanni Capriglione: (512) 463-0690 Watson, Capriglione bills close loopholes in open records law Texas Rep. Giovanni Capriglione and Sen. Kirk Watson filed two pieces of identical legislation on Tuesday to close loopholes in the Public Information Act that were created by recent Texas Supreme Court rulings. "Taxpayers have a right to know how their money is being spent," Rep. Capriglione said. "The original intent of the Public Information Act was to be as permissive as possible in favor of [...]

Watson, Capriglione bills close loopholes in open records law2017-01-03T23:07:08-06:00

Open Government Champions: Capriglione pushes ahead with transparency agenda in Legislature

2016-08-24T16:46:11-05:00

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is one in an occasional series of opinion pieces on legislators and other Texans who are openly committed to sustaining government transparency and accountability. The articles are being prepared and distributed by the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas and the Texas Press Association. By DAVE MONTGOMERY During the 2015 Texas Legislature, while most other transparency and ethics reform proposals were headed toward the trash heap, Rep. Giovanni Capriglione secured near-unanimous passage of a new law that has enabled the public to see who benefits financially from dealings with the government. His victory in pushing through House Bill [...]

Open Government Champions: Capriglione pushes ahead with transparency agenda in Legislature2016-08-24T16:46:11-05:00

Texas high court carves “monstrous loophole” for government secrets

2016-08-08T14:54:29-05:00

By Jim Malewitz The Texas Tribune Originally published Aug. 5, 2016 Thanks to the Texas Supreme Court, McAllen taxpayers cannot find out how much their city paid Enrique Iglesias to belt out his Latin pop lyrics at a holiday parade. And Houston cannot release, among other information, how many driver permits it has issued to ride-hailing giant Uber. A Kaufman County school district’s food service deal? Much of that is now secret, as are details of a Texas Department of Insurance contract for interpretation services. Those are a few instances among many over the past year in which Texas Attorney General [...]

Texas high court carves “monstrous loophole” for government secrets2016-08-08T14:54:29-05:00

Court rulings taking a toll on Texas public records access

2022-03-31T17:08:38-05:00

By Kelley Shannon Those of us who keep a close eye on Texas’ evolving open government laws watch the state Legislature for signs of change. We also look at how local and state government agencies carry out these laws to see if they are working. But we must focus on the courts, too. Troubling rulings by the Texas Supreme Court and lower courts are watering down our Texas Public Information Act, long considered one of the strongest in the nation. The momentous law, which originated as the Texas Open Records Act in the early 1970s amid citizen frustration after the Sharpstown [...]

Court rulings taking a toll on Texas public records access2022-03-31T17:08:38-05:00

Corpus Christi Caller-Times: Texas’ top court downsized the right to know

2015-10-05T18:48:12-05:00

Corpus Christi Caller-Times Editorial Originally published Oct. 4, 2015 Among the most basic of the reasons for We the People to have a right to know is so we can review how our government is spending our money. The Texas Public Information Act protects this right, with careful exceptions meant to protect commerce without infringing on this basic right. An example is the right of a private company that contracts with the state to protect trade secrets that make its products or services unique. Recently, the Texas Supreme Court extended private companies' right to keep secrets from the public way too [...]

Corpus Christi Caller-Times: Texas’ top court downsized the right to know2015-10-05T18:48:12-05:00

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