by Cobb & Counsel | Mar 1, 2022 | Texas Open Meetings Act
The Attorney General’s office has released an updated handbook on the Texas Open Meetings Act, including guidance on changes made by the 87th Texas Legislature. While the handbook is a helpful resource, TOMA is a complex statutory scheme that can be difficult to...
by Cobb & Counsel | Jul 27, 2021 | Texas Open Meetings Act
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 | Apr 21, 2021 | Texas Open Meetings Act
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 | Texas Open Meetings Act
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 4, 2021 | Texas Open Meetings Act
From February 12-18, 2021, a devastating winter storm knocked out power for millions of Texans, leaving many in the dark for days in frigid temperatures. During that period, the commissioners of the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC)—the agency that regulates...
by Cobb & Counsel | Sep 17, 2020 | Texas Open Meetings Act
Yes, Under These Exceptions to the Texas Open Meetings Act. The Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA) requires meetings of governmental bodies to be open to the public. TOMA was enacted to encourage “good government” by ending closed-door sessions in which deals are cut...
