Texas Government Law Blog
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Redacting Confidential Information in Government Contracts
Members of the public have access to certain government contracting information, thanks to provisions in the Texas Government Code and the General Appropriations Act. Certain contracts are required to be reported to the Legislative Budget Board, which maintains an...
Texas AG Ken Paxton v. Big Tech
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has taken aggressive action against leading tech companies, filing high-profile litigation against Google and Facebook for alleged violations of antitrust and consumer protection laws. Paxton’s office is also investigating possible...
Texas Legislature’s Special Access to Government Secrets
Serving in the Texas Legislature has its perks: free meals, a nice pension, and special access to government secrets. Under the Texas Public Information Act, legislators and legislative committees may obtain confidential information from governmental bodies if the...
Fuzzy on the Law: Are eight-liner gaming machines unconstitutional?
The legality of electronic gaming machines known as “eight-liners” has been debated in Texas for years. Although gambling devices are generally prohibited, eight-liner owners have taken the position that their machines fall within the so-called “fuzzy-animal...
Are robotexts the new robocalls? How to stop those annoying spam texts
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the federal government agree on at least one issue: robotext scams are getting out of hand. In January 2023, Texas AG Paxton and 50 other state attorneys general sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging...
Mind Your Drone Business
It’s the question on everyone’s mind when a drone flies over their property—can I shoot it down? The short answer is no. Each drone encounter requires a fact-specific analysis of the legality of whether you can shoot it down. There are many lawful uses for drones...
How to challenge a negative Vendor Performance Report
No one likes receiving a bad report card. For government contractors, the consequences of a bad report card can be severe—repeated unfavorable performance reports from a state agency may result in debarment for up to five years. Under Texas law, a vendor has at least...
Can Texas legalize casino gambling without a constitutional amendment?
Texas lawmakers have already pre-filed more than 1,000 bills that they hope to pass in next year’s legislative session. Among them is SJR 17, which proposes a constitutional amendment to allow casino gambling at a limited number of locations in the state. Similar...
Open government bills to watch in the 88th legislative session
2019 was a good year for open government legislation—in the wake of court rulings that weakened Texas open government laws, lawmakers approved measures to repair holes in the state’s Texas Public Information Act (TPIA) and shore up the Texas Open Meetings Act...
No pictures, please: Does the First Amendment protect news drones?
Under the Texas Privacy Act, it’s a criminal offense to use a drone to take pictures of an individual or private property “with the intent to conduct surveillance.” In 2019, a group of media organizations and journalists that use drones for newsgathering purposes...
So you think you want to buy a short-term rental in the Austin area
We’ve written about how the City of Austin is refusing to issue new permits to non-homestead rental properties. If you’re a short-term rental (STR) investor in Central Texas, or want to become one, you might be considering properties located near Austin (but outside...
Fall back, for the last time? The end of daylight saving time in Texas
In March 2022, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent year-round for most states, including Texas. But the bill lost momentum in the House and has not become law. The Texas Legislature has...