Texas Supreme Court

Show us the money, let us see how tax dollars are spent

FOIFT2022-03-31T17:08:28-05:00

By Kelley Shannon Executive Director Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas It’s quite simple, really. We Texans have a right to know how our taxpayer dollars are spent. It’s our money. We, the people, choose our government. Our elected public officials represent us. They manage and spend our tax money. But we, the people,get to decide whether they are doing it well. To do that, we need light shining on the workings of our government. But that essential element of our democracy is in jeopardy in Texas. Taxpayers are being denied information about government contracts with private companies and about tax [...]

Show us the money, let us see how tax dollars are spentFOIFT2022-03-31T17:08:28-05:00

Texas Supreme Court dismisses defamation lawsuit against The Dallas Morning News

FOIFT2018-05-14T15:18:36-05:00

By Jeff Mosier The Dallas Morning News Originally published May 12, 2018 The Texas Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit Friday in which a couple claimed The Dallas Morning News defamed them when it published a column disclosing their decision to omit information about their teenage son’s suicide from a paid obituary. John and Mary Ann Tatum, whose 17-year-old son shot himself, sued The News and now-retired Metro columnist Steve Blow in 2011 over allegations that the column accused the couple of lying about their son’s death. The 2010 column, “Shrouding suicide leaves its danger unaddressed,” urged the public to talk more [...]

Texas Supreme Court dismisses defamation lawsuit against The Dallas Morning NewsFOIFT2018-05-14T15:18:36-05:00

Court ruling preventing public from seeing how taxpayer money is spent

FOIFT2018-03-20T13:16:02-05:00

By Jaie Avila WOIA/News 4 San Antonio Originally published March 19, 2018 How much did San Antonio pay REO Speedwagon to play on New Year's Eve? What kind of tax breaks are big corporations receiving to move here? The News 4 Trouble Shooters use the Texas Public Information Act to track how your tax dollars are spent. However, a new weapon is being used to prevent us from keeping you informed. In 2015 the Texas Supreme Court made what's known as the Boeing decision. The ruling makes it easier for government agencies to block you from seeing the deals it makes [...]

Court ruling preventing public from seeing how taxpayer money is spentFOIFT2018-03-20T13:16:02-05:00

Texas cities mum on specifics of proposals to lure Amazon

FOIFT2018-01-11T18:43:54-06:00

By Jamie Stengle Associated Press Originally published Jan. 11, 2018 DALLAS - While Texas cities vying to land Amazon’s second headquarters have been vocal about why they think they should win, they’ve resisted releasing copies of their proposals. Requests by The Associated Press for information related to the proposals were met with replies including arguments that such information can be kept secret because it would give an advantage to competitors. Some cities did release employees’ emails relating to the bids. A release of emails from Houston offered clues, including a draft of the proposal’s two-page executive summary that said it could [...]

Texas cities mum on specifics of proposals to lure AmazonFOIFT2018-01-11T18:43:54-06:00

FOI Column: Boeing ruling stretched, twisted to keep government records secret

FOIFT2022-03-31T17:08:33-05:00

By Kelley Shannon Executive Director FOI Foundation of Texas Every week, government officials across Texas and private companies receiving taxpayer dollars get increasingly creative in hiding public records. Their new tool is the Boeing ruling, a decision from the Texas Supreme Court that lowered the threshold for arguing competitive bidding as an exemption from disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act. It gives governments an easier path to claim that competitive bidding concerns should allow them to keep records secret. And, businesses can now make the claim, too. Those attempting to censor records under Boeing have sought approximately 1,500 rulings from [...]

FOI Column: Boeing ruling stretched, twisted to keep government records secretFOIFT2022-03-31T17:08:33-05:00

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