Source: https://www.muckrock.com/place/united-states-of-america/texas/
Timestamp: 2017-10-18 02:09:56
Document Index: 49018852

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 552', '§ 552', '§ 552', '§ 552', '§ 552', '§ 552', '§ 552', '§ 552', '§ 552']

Texas Public Records Guide • MuckRock
Texas Public Records Guide
Texas Government Code, Title 5, Subtitle A, Chapter 552, Subchapter A
All exemptions/rejections must go through AG in a “pre-appeal system,” preventing arbitrary withholding
AG deliberation can slow down entire process, often taking much longer than the allotted 10 days</span>
No process for appealing arbitrary fees or delays
Out of all state public records laws, Texas is perhaps the most distinctly different from the federal statute on which they are based. Under the federal act, an agency can decide to withhold information under a certain exemption and then its the requester’s prerogative to challenge that through appeal. Whereas in Texas, the agency must provide written justification for the application of the exemption to the state’s Attorney General. If the AG disagrees with the agency’s application, they can immediately overrule their decision, bypassing the appeal process entirely.
This comes with its own unique advantages and disadvantages. On the positive side, this puts the onus on the agency to properly present their case, making blanket rejections much less likely, and theoretically ensuring the fullest possible release every time. However, the flip-side to this is that the added delay of the process pushes it well beyond that ten-day window – the AG has a full 45-days to respond.
That said, AG rulings are treated similar to case law, so that if an agency has already received an opinion on what constitutes a full release for a particular request (use of force policies, for example), the process can be skipped entirely.
Unfortunately, the fact that this process replaces a formal appeals process rather than supplements it gives agencies certain loopholes – a requester cannot seek the AG’s assistance in reducing an seemingly arbitrary fee estimate, or getting an unresponsive agency to respond in time. In a similar vein, if a requester disagrees with the AG’s decision, there’s no third-party to turn to – the only option left is a lawsuit.
Must produce materials “promptly” or an estimated date of completion within 10 days.
Definition of public information - Texas Government Code, Title 5, Subtitle A, Chapter 552, Subchapter A § 552.002
Yes. Texas law currently has no provision dictating a residency requirement.
Records requests are expected to go to the body that holds the records.
“Sec. 552.201. IDENTITY OF OFFICER FOR PUBLIC INFORMATION. (a) The chief administrative officer of a governmental body is the officer for public information, except as provided by Subsection (b).” (b) Each elected county officer is the officer for public information and the custodian, as defined by Section 201.003, Local Government Code, of the information created or received by that county officer’s office. Texas Government Code, Title 5, Subtitle A, Chapter 552, Subchapter A § 552.201
“(a) Access to information collected, assembled, or maintained by or for the judiciary is governed by rules adopted by the Supreme Court of Texas or by other applicable laws and rules. (b) This section does not address whether information is considered to be information collected, assembled, or maintained by or for the judiciary.” Texas Government Code, Title 5, Subtitle A, Chapter 552, Subchapter A § 552.0035
Yes. However, the 10-day period within which an agency must ask for an Attorney General’s opinion does not apply to such requests.
Agencies are expected to provide materials “as soon as possible” or a date when materials will be provided.
“(d) If an officer for public information cannot produce public information for inspection or duplication within 10 business days after the date the information is requested under Subsection (a), the officer shall certify that fact in writing to the requestor and set a date and hour within a reasonable time when the information will be available for inspection or duplication.” Texas Government Code, Title 5, Subtitle A, Chapter 552, Subchapter A § 552.221
Agencies aren’t allowed to limit disclosure based on the motivation of the request.
“(a) A requestor or the attorney general may file suit for a writ of mandamus compelling a governmental body to make information available for public inspection if the governmental body refuses to request an attorney general’s decision as provided by Subchapter G or refuses to supply public information or information that the attorney general has determined is public information that is not excepted from disclosure under Subchapter C.” Texas Government Code, Title 5, Subtitle A, Chapter 552, Subchapter A § 552.321
Fees may cover copies. They may include labor, but such inclusion requires description.
“(a) The charge for providing a copy of public information shall be an amount that reasonably includes all costs related to reproducing the public information, including costs of materials, labor, and overhead. If a request is for 50 or fewer pages of paper records, the charge for providing the copy of the public information may not include costs of materials, labor, or overhead, but shall be limited to the charge for each page of the paper record that is photocopied, unless the pages to be photocopied are located in: (1) two or more separate buildings that are not physically connected with each other; or (2) a remote storage facility.” Texas Government Code, Title 5, Subtitle A, Chapter 552, Subchapter A § 552.261
“(b) If the charge for providing a copy of public information includes costs of labor, the requestor may require the governmental body’s officer for public information or the officer’s agent to provide the requestor with a written statement as to the amount of time that was required to produce and provide the copy. The statement must be signed by the officer for public information or the officer’s agent and the officer’s or the agent’s name must be typed or legibly printed below the signature. A charge may not be imposed for providing the written statement to the requestor.” Texas Government Code, Title 5, Subtitle A, Chapter 552, Subchapter A § 552.261
If the agency finds the request to be in the public interest, it may waive fees. It may also do so if the cost of collecting the charge would outweigh the charge itself.
“Sec. 552.267. WAIVER OR REDUCTION OF CHARGE FOR PROVIDING COPY OF PUBLIC INFORMATION. (a) A governmental body shall provide a copy of public information without charge or at a reduced charge if the governmental body determines that waiver or reduction of the charge is in the public interest because providing the copy of the information primarily benefits the general public. (b) If the cost to a governmental body of processing the collection of a charge for providing a copy of public information will exceed the amount of the charge, the governmental body may waive the charge.” Texas Government Code, Title 5, Subtitle A, Chapter 552, Subchapter A § 552.267
“(b) In an action brought under Section 552.324, the court may assess costs of litigation and reasonable attorney’s fees incurred by a plaintiff or defendant who substantially prevails. In exercising its discretion under this subsection, the court shall consider whether the conduct of the governmental body had a reasonable basis in law and whether the litigation was brought in good faith.” Texas Government Code, Title 5, Subtitle A, Chapter 552, Subchapter A § 552.323
Most exemptions are specific.
Exemptions may be applied at the discretion of the agency. Subchapter C lists a variety of exceptions.
There is no appeal option, though one may immediately turn to the courts for relief.
The following organizations offer resources for those seeking public records in Texas.
The Attorney General posts Open Records Letter Rulings (ORLs) on its website.
How some local governments are violating the law and the public’s trust in records requests
Blogs and feeds primarily focused on public records in Texas
Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas Blog
Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas’ Guide to Texas Public Information Act
Texas Attorney General’s Public Information Handbook
Submit a new newsletter
955 Filed
396 Completed
220 No Responsive Documents
72 Awaiting Response
86 Requiring Action
109 Overdue
2 appeals awaiting response
$14114.54
12.67% of requests have a fee
Austin Police Department 417 4,022
Texas Department of Public Safety 338 2,232
Houston Police Department 317 1,162
Texas Department of Criminal Justice 227 3,097
Fort Worth Police Department 220 1,215
Austin Regional Intelligence Center 192 646
Office of Attorney General 186 1,241
Dallas Police Department 172 1,541
University of Texas, Austin 130 825
Bastrop Police Department 115 8
Austin, TX 485 4,297
Houston, TX 408 2,085
Dallas, TX 265 1,853
Fort Worth, TX 234 1,753
Bastrop, TX 115 8
San Antonio, TX 109 1,011
Prairie View, TX 97 926
Plano, TX 92 120
Midland, TX 72 813
Harris County, TX 71 729
Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer sent this request to the San Antonio Police Department of San Antonio, TX
McKinney, TX PD Citizen Complaints
Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer sent this request to the McKinney Police Department of McKinney, TX
Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer sent this request to the Plano Police Department of Plano, TX
D Smith sent this request to the Texas Ethics Commission of Texas
Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer sent this request to the Mesquite Police Department of Mesquite, TX
Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer sent this request to the League Police Department of League City, TX
Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer sent this request to the Office of the Police Monitor of Austin, TX
Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer sent this request to the Houston Police Department of Houston, TX
Ben Hudson sent this request to the Dallas Police Department of Dallas, TX
Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer sent this request to the Austin Police Department of Austin, TX