https://www.texastribune.org/topics/public-information-act/The latest Public Information Act news from The Texas Tribune.enSat, 03 Jun 2023 17:45:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/06/03/texas-transparency-records-bill/The bill would close a long-standing loophole in state law that allows officials to withhold law enforcement records if no one was convicted in a case. The measure was the only bill sent to the Senate that did not get signed and sent to the governor.Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublicaSat, 03 Jun 2023 17:45:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/06/03/texas-transparency-records-bill/Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (left) and House Speaker Dade Phelan.From left: Lt. Gov Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan.The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/25/texas-ken-paxton-trump-insurrection/The Texas Tribune joined several other news organizations in an effort to obtain copies of emails and text messages that the Texas attorney general sent or received while in Washington for the rally.John Tedesco, Houston Chronicle, Lauren McGaughy and Allie Morris, The Dallas Morning News, and Jay Root, Houston ChronicleThu, 25 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/25/texas-ken-paxton-trump-insurrection/https://www.texastribune.org/2020/01/10/where-do-texans-taxes-go-enrique-iglesias-mcallen-contract/For four years, local and state governments in Texas were allowed to keep a lot of public business hidden. New laws make more of that information public. But what did they get away with in the meantime?Ross RamseyFri, 10 Jan 2020 00:01:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2020/01/10/where-do-texans-taxes-go-enrique-iglesias-mcallen-contract/https://www.texastribune.org/2018/07/23/texas-supreme-court-execution-drug-rehearing/With new execution drugs in stock, the state is fighting a June Texas Supreme Court decision that would identify a 2014 supplier, claiming it would disrupt the state's ability to carry out the death penalty.Jolie McCulloughMon, 23 Jul 2018 14:43:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2018/07/23/texas-supreme-court-execution-drug-rehearing/https://www.texastribune.org/2018/03/30/analysis-texas-lawmakers-unanimously-asked-study-open-government-theyr/Efforts to close loopholes in the state's open information laws fell short at the end of last year's legislative session. An interim committee intended to get a head start before the 2019 session hasn't met. Its members haven't even been named.Ross RamseyFri, 30 Mar 2018 00:01:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2018/03/30/analysis-texas-lawmakers-unanimously-asked-study-open-government-theyr/Illustration by Todd Wiseman / Guillermo Esteveshttps://www.texastribune.org/2018/02/15/texas-prison-system-delays-release-public-information-executions/Earlier this month, defense lawyers claimed Texas was botching its executions with old drugs. Now, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice has stalled the release of information on how many lethal doses the state has and when they expire.Jolie McCulloughThu, 15 Feb 2018 00:01:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2018/02/15/texas-prison-system-delays-release-public-information-executions/https://www.texastribune.org/2018/02/07/analysis-cloudy-day-sunshine-laws-texas/It might deflate your confidence in the state of Texas to find that the people protecting your access to government information have their thumbs on the scale. That they’re playing favorites. That they put requests from their enemies on the slow track. Or that they advise the agencies who come to them for advice to act that way.Ross RamseyWed, 07 Feb 2018 00:01:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2018/02/07/analysis-cloudy-day-sunshine-laws-texas/Marc Rylander is a spokesman for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office.Marc Rylander is a spokesman for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office.Twitterhttps://www.texastribune.org/2017/05/18/texas-house-halts-senate-effort-plug-records-loopholes/The Texas House has thwarted an effort to patch what some called “glaring loopholes” in public records law, recently punched by the Texas Supreme Court. Jim MalewitzThu, 18 May 2017 18:06:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2017/05/18/texas-house-halts-senate-effort-plug-records-loopholes/The Sunlight Foundationhttps://www.texastribune.org/2017/05/11/texas-senate-unticks-proposals-plug-public-records-loopholes/With looming deadlines threatening to kill a slew of bills aiming to bolster access to public records in Texas, Sen. Kirk Watson muscled them closer to the governor's desk — all at once.Jim MalewitzThu, 11 May 2017 17:39:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2017/05/11/texas-senate-unticks-proposals-plug-public-records-loopholes/Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, talks about open records efforts on Jan. 31, 2017.Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, talks about open records efforts on Jan. 31, 2017.Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2017/03/28/bills-plug-public-information-loopholes-breeze-through-senate/The legislation pushes back against two 2015 Texas Supreme Court rulings that have enabled private companies involved with government contracts to keep parts of those contracts secret.Jim MalewitzTue, 28 Mar 2017 15:49:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2017/03/28/bills-plug-public-information-loopholes-breeze-through-senate/Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, talks about open records efforts on Jan. 31, 2017.Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, talks about open records efforts on Jan. 31, 2017.Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2017/02/28/businesses-oppose-legislation-limiting-public-information-exemptions/Businesses opposed SB 407 and SB 408 at a public hearing, arguing that open records requests could put them at a competitive disadvantage.Jackie WangTue, 28 Feb 2017 16:53:14 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2017/02/28/businesses-oppose-legislation-limiting-public-information-exemptions/Sen. Kirk Watson D-Austin during a February 15, 2017 Senate Committee on Health and Human ServicesSen. Kirk Watson D-Austin during a February 15, 2017 Senate Committee on Health and Human ServicesMarjorie Kamys Coterahttps://www.texastribune.org/2015/09/25/government-contracts-less-public-under-ruling/A recent ruling by the Texas Supreme Court has made it easier for private companies to keep secret details of their contracts with the state of Texas and local governments, a move that public information advocates warn is ripe for abuse. Aman BathejaFri, 25 Sep 2015 06:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2015/09/25/government-contracts-less-public-under-ruling/https://www.texastribune.org/2014/10/16/triblive-houston-on-open-government/At our 10/16 TribLive conversation, Sam Houston, the Democratic nominee for Texas Attorney General in 2014, talked about how he'd respond to open records requests.Evan SmithThu, 16 Oct 2014 14:04:26 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2014/10/16/triblive-houston-on-open-government/https://www.texastribune.org/2012/11/26/senate-committee-hears-testimony-open-records-law/The Senate Committee on Open Government heard testimony Monday surrounding the Texas Public Information Act. Among the discussions was one focused on reducing “frivolous and overly burdensome” requests.Audrey WhiteMon, 26 Nov 2012 16:51:22 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2012/11/26/senate-committee-hears-testimony-open-records-law/Graphic by Todd Wisemanhttps://www.texastribune.org/2012/10/17/dallas-suburbs-lead-state-attempts-deny-public-rec/Among the state’s biggest cities, several Dallas-area suburbs tallied the highest rate of requests to Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott last year to keep government information secret, according to a Center for Public Integrity investigation.Kelley Shannon, Center for Public IntegrityWed, 17 Oct 2012 06:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2012/10/17/dallas-suburbs-lead-state-attempts-deny-public-rec/Graphic by Todd Wisemanhttps://www.texastribune.org/2012/08/10/clearly-not-transparent/Lawmakers say they want transparency and that the public should be able to see their finances. But state requirements allow officeholders to report their financial interests vaguely enough to hide conflicts.Ross RamseyFri, 10 Aug 2012 06:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2012/08/10/clearly-not-transparent/State Rep. Charlie Geren, the head of the House Administration Committee, wrote a letter to his fellow House members saying that they were "under no legal obligation"to accommodate a Texas Tribune request to submit three years of tax returns.State Rep. Charlie Geren, the head of the House Administration Committee, wrote a letter to his fellow House members saying that they were "under no legal obligation"to accommodate a Texas Tribune request to submit three years of tax returns.Illustration by Marjorie Kamys Cotera / Todd Wisemanhttps://www.texastribune.org/2012/03/19/bad-grade-texas-transparency/Texas has scored a 68 out of 100, placing 27th in a national state integrity study. The state got high marks for auditing and for monitoring pension funds, but not as high for accountability of the governor and legislators.Paul TheobaldMon, 19 Mar 2012 06:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2012/03/19/bad-grade-texas-transparency/Illustration by Todd Wisemanhttps://www.texastribune.org/2011/12/29/most-viewed-data-apps-2011-salaries-prisons-school/As it has since the Trib's launch in 2009, data continued to reign supreme on the site in 2011. Today, we take a look at the 10 most-visited data apps since Jan. 1.Ryan MurphyThu, 29 Dec 2011 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2011/12/29/most-viewed-data-apps-2011-salaries-prisons-school/Graphic by Todd Wisemanhttps://www.texastribune.org/2011/12/24/tribweek-top-texas-news-week-121911/Aaronson on Rick Perry's Texas Enterprise Fund, Aguliar on the DOJ's Joe Arpaio problem, Galbraith on the uncertainty about Texas' electric grid, Grissom and Schwartz of The New York Times on the latest in the Michael Morton case, Hamilton on the first leg of Perry's Iowa bus tour, Murphy and McLain unveil our new campaign finance database, Ramsey et al. go live with the first round of our 2012 election brackets, Root on a GOP rival's queries about Perry's pension play, M. Smith contrasts the various school finance lawsuits and Tan, Dehn and Murphy on a shortage of mental health professionals: The best of our best content from December 19-23, 2011.Evan SmithSat, 24 Dec 2011 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2011/12/24/tribweek-top-texas-news-week-121911/Graphic by Todd Wisemanhttps://www.texastribune.org/2011/12/21/records-texas-population-growing-fast/The Lone Star State is getting bigger. Texas had the largest population growth of any state between April 2010 and July 2011, according to figures released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.Becca AaronsonWed, 21 Dec 2011 10:31:02 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2011/12/21/records-texas-population-growing-fast/Justyna Furmanczyk