The governor denied that she was banned. No charges have been filed in the incident. A compromise was reached to protect all unpublished telephone numbers in the databases. The utilities wanted special exemptions to public records laws, fearing competitors would use the information as an unfair business advantage. The legislature defeated a measure that would have closed loopholes in the state's meetings law.
State law allows public bodies to be briefed in private only to receive information.
But public bodies often meet in private to reach consensus on sensitive matters before voting in public sessions. The University of Texas opposed the measure, with officials saying they wanted to continue to have private huddles on such matters as audits, mergers and acquisitions. Governor George W. Bush vetoed a bill to restrict information on traffic accident reports, but he signed another bill that has the same effect. Officials in the governor's office said the measure slipped by because of the volume of bills being signed. The law will make it more difficult for people to get information on traffic accidents contained in police and 911 logs and Department of Public Safety records.