Dear government officials, school district folks, City Hall gatekeepers, county representatives, public information officers, law enforcement leaders and anyone else paid by public tax dollars, please be aware Texas residents scored several victories for government transparency during the 89th Legislature.
This is also a reminder that all of you work for the people, not the other way around.
Lastly, if you’re an elected representative — whether a county commissioner, a judge, a district attorney, a sheriff or some other office holder — or an appointed police official, don’t forget you took an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution.
Civics lesson: The Constitution includes the First Amendment, which enshrines press freedoms. It’s first for a reason.
Meanwhile, taking a leaf from the nonprofit Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, here is a quick summation of important opengovernment laws passed by the Texas House and Senate this past session:
• House Bill 4214 by Rep. Pat Curry, R-Waco, requiring the Attorney General’s Office to maintain a publicly accessible database listing governments’ current public information request addresses.
• HB 3711 by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, expanding investigation options for Open Meetings Act violations to include potential assistance by the AG’s office and state law enforcement.
• HB 2520 by Rep. Ann Johnson, D-Houston, to include in the Open Meetings Act school district boards of managers where there’s been a state takeover.
• HB 1522, by Rep. Stan Gerdes, R-Smithville, requiring public meeting notices to be posted three business days in advance instead of 72 hours and requiring a copy of a budget with the posting if a budget is to be considered in the meeting.
• HB 4219, by Capriglione and Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, requires governments to issue a written response to requestors who seek records under the Texas Public Information Act, even if there are no responsive documents or a previous attorney general ruling allows withholding those records.
According to FOIFT, these are the government-transparency battles the public lost, but then again, there’s always another legislative session: “(The 89th session) included bills that would have allowed for recovery of attorneys’ fees in Public Information Act lawsuits; restored access to birthdates in public records to allow for accurate identification when people have common names; required open-government training for outside attorneys hired by governments to handle open-government matters; required release of records in searchable-sortable format; and required the continued operation of a state opengovernment hotline.”
In conclusion, public servants, please remember you are in the United States, which is built on freedom of speech and open government. Support and practice these cherished ideals daily.
Edwards is the executive editor of Granite Media Partners Inc. Reach him at thomas. [email protected].
Thomas Edwards
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