by Cobb & Counsel | Jul 27, 2021 | Public Information Act Requests
Governor Abbott temporarily suspended some requirements of the Texas Open Meetings Act due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But those suspensions end on September 1, 2021, and all governmental bodies must return to complying with the statute as written. That means the end of...
by Cobb & Counsel | Jul 14, 2021 | Public Information Act Requests
Governmental bodies in Texas are required to produce public information upon request—but they don’t have to do it for free. Charges for the production of public information must be calculated according to rules established by the attorney general. If you think you’re...
by Cobb & Counsel | Jun 29, 2021 | Public Information Act Requests
Attorney General Paxton ruled in May 2021 that ERCOT is not required to release information to the public under the state’s open records law. If you can’t obtain information from ERCOT directly, you may be able to obtain the same information from PUC, the state agency...
by Cobb & Counsel | Apr 21, 2021 | Public Information Act Requests
The Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA) ensures that meetings of governmental bodies are open to the public. In limited circumstances, however, TOMA authorizes closed meetings, from which the public is excluded. Tex. Gov’t Code Ann. §§ 551.071-551.090. The Texas Attorney...
by Cobb & Counsel | Apr 9, 2021 | Public Information Act Requests
The Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA) requires meetings of governmental bodies to be open to the public, except for expressly authorized closed sessions. TOMA provides criminal penalties—including possible jail time—for violations of certain provisions, making Texas one...
by Cobb & Counsel | Mar 24, 2021 | Public Information Act Requests
2019 was a good year for open government legislation—in the wake of court rulings that advocates say weakened Texas open government laws, lawmakers approved measures to repair holes in the state’s Public Information Act and shore up the Open Meetings Act....
