Bill allows government to lump different people's requests and treat them as one. It is not the government's privilege to declare that a person is part of a particular group, nor to know why people are seeking information. Each individual has a right to request. 

Donnis talked to Kacal by phone to get more info about the bill.

3/24 Donnis and Kelley Shannon meeting with Bryan (city of) folks about the bill. They are having a problem with vexatious requestors. 

Our opponents must have convinced Kacal that existing law cannot protect them and this bill must be set for hearing. 

Bill increases transparency and allows newspapers access to boating incident reports.

Signed card of support

This bill would increase access to public information by eliminating some of the privileges that currently allow for withholding. The “basic information” piece would make clear that basic information about an incident (which the press has a right to) is not limited to just arrests and crimes, but would apply to incidents that don’t necessarily result in an arrest. The last section regarding “video” would ensure that audio recordings aren’t subject to the stricter standards for releasing body cams.

Companion is HB 3334 by Canales.

Can a clerk just modify a record because someone asks? Reid: "I do think that's what it means. It would have to be someone who fits the definition in 552.114 and would have to be the kind of information that's described there. But if it fits the bill, the this bill would require the clerk to redact at their request. Might be worth having a conversation with the author.

3/15/23 We further reviewed the bill and concluded that the bill did no harm and removed it from our list.

We need to monitor this one. It would make leaking a court document a misdemeanor.

Companion is HB 1741 by Leach

Home address confidentiality - child abduction

This sets up a public database, but “deidentifies suspects on the database. Companion is HB 2043 by Bowers.

3/23 Met with folks from the Bail Project and the Texas ACLU. They explained that this bill will be useful for investigative reporters who are doing statistical analyses of bail practices, and that the aggregated “deidentified” data doesn’t endanger public access to identities of suspects through the usual normal channels.

We do not need to take a position

Need more info. This sets up a public database, but “deidentifies suspects on the database. Companion is SB 875 by West

3/21 met with Natoya who suggests we set up meeting w/ Andre Treiber, chief of staff to get better understanding of bill. Need to set appointment soon.

3/23 Met with folks from the Bail Project and the Texas ACLU. They explained that this bill will be useful for investigative reporters who are doing statistical analyses of bail practices, and that the aggregated “deidentified” data doesn’t endanger public access to identities of suspects through the usual normal channels.

We do not need to take a position

Monitor. If bill gets hearing, file a card of support

Confidentiality of judicial work product

See companion SB 372 (passed house and senate)

Nondisclosure of criminal history: The tsunami of drug convictions across all socioeconomic groups makes a law like this almost an eventuality. This bill is limited to nonviolent first offenders who keep their noses clean for a defined period afterward.  I don’t want TPA to support it, but I don’t want TPA to oppose it either. 

Companion to SB 499 by Zaffirini

Nondisclosure intoxication record

Need to visit with Middleton. This bill would establish an investigator general for education, but any document the I.G. investigates is not to be released under the PIA - so that would include a document that would otherwise be readily available to the public, such as a budget, a checkbook register, etc.

3/21: met with legislative director - explained error, he will get it fixed. 

Pro-transparency section, but for the most part this will be seen as an anti-law enforcement bill. We shouldn't be associated with it. Let's monitor. 

Access to accident reports - since bill contains the current language that includes newspapers, we should monitor.

Per Reid Pillifant: HB 2221 just changes the percentage required to approve a tax rate (from a majority to 60 percent). Suggests we monitor. 

This eliminates notice requirements for sale or gift of small pieces of public property to Navigation Districts and Port Authorities for rights-of-way, etc. Not worth fighting over but let’s monitor.
 

Good newspaper notice language introduced.

TPA registered card of support for bill on 3/2823

Adds a newspaper notice. Monitor for amendments

Go see author and see if we can add Newspaper Notice to the bill. Note that he is calling for a website notice with email notification which our statewide site can provide.