AG offers open government videos to help compliance

AUSTIN — Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott unveiled new mandatory open government training materials to educate state and local public officials about Texas open records and open meetings laws that changed Jan. 1.

Abbott highlighted the two videos at the Attorney General’s 2005 Open Government Conference, held Dec. 12-14 to educate public officials and others about all facets of the state’s open government laws.

The materials were developed in compliance with a new state law that gives the attorney general authority to establish the formal training necessary to ensure that all elected and appointed government officials have a good command of both open records and open meetings laws.

The attorney general’s office enforces the Texas Public Information Act, also known as the open records law.

“No longer do public officials have any excuse for not following the state’s open government laws,” Abbott said. “This training will teach them what the law requires and that there will be consequences for not following it.”

Copies of the free training video can be requested by calling the attorney general’s office at 800-252-8011.

The public also can visit the attorney general’s Web site to: apply for the approval of an open government training course; view the Open Meetings Act and Public Information Act training videos; and fill out an open government course completion certificate.

The new law will help clear up confusion about open records law and hopefully change attitudes among government officials as they interact with the public at the local and state levels. The Attorney General’s Open Records Division receives about 11,000 requests per year from government officials seeking guidance about disclosure of records to citizens and media.

“We live in an era in which citizens demand more openness from their government. This law will have a tremendously positive impact on the way government officials perceive their role, not as protectors of public information but as active participants in sharing information with the public,” Abbott said.

The new law went into effect on Jan. 1. Officials who are in office before that date have until Jan. 1, 2007, to complete the required training. Officials who are elected or appointed after Jan. 1, 2006, have 90 days to complete the training.