Texas Public Information Act

Dallas Morning News: How transparent is your community?

2015-01-26T15:40:57-06:00

By Bob Mong Editor The Dallas Morning News Originally published Jan. 24, 2015 As a citizen, you have the right to inspect vast amounts of public information about how taxpayer dollars are spent. It’s your right. It’s the law. The law is quite specific about what is available and how quickly information should be delivered to citizens. Several enterprising Dallas Morning News reporters were determined to find out how well the Texas Public Information Act was being applied by government entities. In a yearlong project, the reporters sent out and tracked 565 requests to 113 area cities, towns, county governments and school districts. [...]

Dallas Morning News: How transparent is your community?2015-01-26T15:40:57-06:00

Bill aims to make police at private universities more transparent

2015-01-20T15:23:28-06:00

By Drew Joseph San Antonio Express-News Originally published Jan. 16, 2015 A bill from a powerful state senator aims to make police departments at private universities, such as the one at the University of the Incarnate Word, subject to the same public records law that applies to other law enforcement agencies. The measure from state Sen. John Whitmire, a Houston Democrat who chairs the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, would specify that campus police departments are governmental bodies even if they are at a private institution. The Texas Public Information Act now shields private university police departments from releasing certain records that [...]

Bill aims to make police at private universities more transparent2015-01-20T15:23:28-06:00

Railroad to Texas officials: Releasing oil train reports could enable insider trading

2015-01-09T15:27:08-06:00

By Curtis Tate McClatchy Washington Bureau Originally published Jan. 7, 2015 In the latest attempt to keep states from publicly releasing information about crude oil trains, one railroad argues that the disclosures could facilitate insider trading. In a Dec. 29 letter to Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, Kansas City Southern wrote that the state “should not disclose information to individuals that creates the potential for investment activity by individuals having non-public information.” Other railroads had attempted to block the release of oil train information by arguing it would pose a security risk or compromise trade secrets. McClatchy obtained such data, however, [...]

Railroad to Texas officials: Releasing oil train reports could enable insider trading2015-01-09T15:27:08-06:00

San Antonio debates police body cameras, public access

2015-01-08T15:24:09-06:00

By Josh Baugh San Antonio Express-News Originally published Jan. 7, 2015 The City Council’s Public Safety Committee on Wednesday continued deliberating whether to outfit police officers with body cameras and also made some headway on a new contract that will recast how towing companies handle wrecks on public streets. The Police Department will likely outfit 251 police officers on downtown bike patrol and in the Park Police with small cameras worn on the uniform while other units will continue to use in-car video systems. Police Chief Anthony Treviño told the committee that the department is ahead of the national curve because [...]

San Antonio debates police body cameras, public access2015-01-08T15:24:09-06:00

Prime Prep Academy ordered to release documents to The Dallas Morning News

2014-12-22T15:40:04-06:00

By Jeff Mosier The Dallas Morning News Originally published Dec. 21. 2014 The Texas attorney general’s office has intervened to force Prime Prep Academy to release public documents it has withheld from The Dallas Morning News for months. The troubled charter school had 10 business days to provide all the documents to the attorney general, but it appears Prime Prep will miss that Friday deadline. Edwin Flores, the school’s attorney in this matter, said he forwarded all documents he’s received, but some still haven’t been produced by administrators. The information requested from Prime Prep included noncontroversial documents that are routinely released by local [...]

Prime Prep Academy ordered to release documents to The Dallas Morning News2014-12-22T15:40:04-06:00
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