The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created. To ensure that members of the public are not inhibited from requesting public information, the PIA prohibits governmental bodies from asking why the information is being requested. The PIA also sets forth procedures for handling requests for public information to ensure a timely, adequate response.
All government information is presumed to be available to the public.
However, exceptions exist which may limit the public disclosure of certain types of confidential, privileged, or sensitive information. If the governmental body believes the requested information falls within one of the PIA s exceptions, it must request an opinion from the Texas Office of the Attorney General within 10 business days. If the governmental body fails to do so, the information is presumed to be public and must be released absent a compelling reason. Complaints of other possible violations of the PIA may be filed with the county or district attorney of the county where the governmental body, other than a state agency, is located. If the complaint is against the county or district attorney, the complaint must be filed with the Office of the Attorney General.