TPA Legislative Update

Dear TPA members,

Texas Press Association staff members are preparing a detailed report on the 84th session of the Texas Legislature, which ends today. Look for the in-depth report in our e-newsletter in the next few days. In the meantime, here's the Readers Digest version of how newspapers fared this session:

1. TPA publishers, editors and reporters were instrumental in helping pass SB 627, which provides crucial libel protection for journalists using third-party sources to break important stories of public concern.

2. We protected public notices in newspapers. A record number of anti-notice measures were filed, but only one passed — an arcane requirement for a state property notice that apparently has not run in a Texas newspaper in years.

3. We helped pass a bill providing public access to the police reports of private universities 

4. In partnership with broadcasters and open-government advocates, we protected media access to names in auto accident reports.

5. We staved off efforts to restrict filming of police officers performing their duties.

6. We came up just short of passing a bill that would have made it a criminal offense for an official to refuse access to a public document that exists only on his personal device. We will try again next session.

It was a long, tough session, but a very good one overall for newspapers and open government. Our work is far from done, however. In the interim between now and the 2017 session we will work hard to make the case for newspapers at hearings of the joint House-Senate committee on public notice.

Look for our detailed legislative report in your inbox soon. As always, thanks for all you do for newspapers, for your communities and for transparency in Texas.

Sincerely,
Donnis Baggett
Executive Vice President