In pandemic era, Texans’ access to public information at risk

2022-03-31T17:08:19-05:00

By Kelley Shannon Bold steps nearly 50 years ago created a landmark protection for the people’s right to know in Texas. Lawmakers approved the state’s open records law, now known as the Texas Public Information Act. Born out of a political financial scandal, the act’s aim was to allow citizens to hold public officials accountable. For the most part, this Texas transparency law has served us well.  It’s essential in many Texans’ routine interactions with their government as they request police reports and school budget documents and so much more. It has been used to expose government action – or inaction [...]