Obituaries published in the January 2023 edition of the Texas Press Messenger.

MICHAEL LINDENBERGER

Two bad public notice bills mark beginning of session

ANALYSIS By MIKE HODGES and DONNIS BAGGETT
Texas Press Association

As 2022 draws to a close, staffers of TPA member newspapers should start thinking about coverage, photos, special sections and other work they will enter in the next Texas Better Newspaper Contest.

The Texas Press Association government affairs team will work alongside the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas and the Texas Sunshine Coalition in the fight for transparency and accountability reforms during the upcoming legislative session.
Among the issues:
• Restoring access to dates of birth in public records – access that was eliminated by an appeals court ruling.

Why public notices belong in newspapers
1 The purpose of public notices is to make citizens aware of governmental actions and intent.  That’s why the Texas Constitution and numerous Texas statutes require them. There’s no more effective way to notify large numbers of people than with newspapers, which publish the notices both in print AND online.

New hires, promotions and other recent staff changes at Texas newspapers.