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Transparency bills are moving forward in the Texas Legislature with bipartisan support to promote open government and correct public information access problems that arose amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With about five weeks left in the legislative session, here’s a status report on bills backed by the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, the Texas Press Association, the Texas Association of Broadcasters and other members of the Transparent and Accountable Government Coalition: Texas Open Meeting Act improvements House Bill 2683 by Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, won unanimous approval ...

Rep Garnet Coleman (D) Houston Thursday was Budget Day at the Texas Legislature with a marathon session on the house floor where nearly 240 amendments to the budget are voted on. At one point state Rep. Garnet Coleman, a Houston Democrat stepped up to the microphone and pitched his amendment that would expand state and federal health care coverage for uninsured Texans. “Tragically Texas has the unfortunate distinction of having both the highest number in the highest percentage of uninsured residents in the nation,” said Coleman. It was a way to basically expand Medicaid with options for ...

Texas Legislature considering bill to make it harder to get public information about government employees Texas Tribune Updated:  Tags:  The bill defines the protected information to include “one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural, or social identity of the individual,” in addition to location or identification numbers, but does not define what information meets that criteria. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune , our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. L...

Texas considering bill to make it harder to get public information about government employees Anna Canizales, The Texas Tribune April 20, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail The Texas Capitol in Austin on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. (Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News/TNS)Juan Figueroa/TNS Lawmakers are considering a bill that would restrict state agencies from sharing salary data and other typically public information about government employees with the public in a bill that experts say is overly broad. Senate Bill 16, filed by state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, would require an individual’...

Lawmakers are considering a bill that would restrict state agencies from sharing salary data and other typically public information about government employees with the public in a bill that experts say is overly broad. Senate Bill 16, filed by state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, would require an individual’s written consent for a state agency to share their personal information. The bill has been declared a priority by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. His office did not respond to a request for comment. It’s coauthored by 29 out of 31 members of the Senate, suggesting it has widespread bipartisa...