A New Chance To Improve Open Government Laws

Five of the most frightening words to hear from elected officials from all levels of government are these: “I’m all for transparency, but….”

The phrase following the “but” is usually an excuse to weaken government transparency, not protect it.

Our open government laws were once considered the nation’s best, but in recent years they’ve been eroded by court rulings and loopholes that weakened Texans’ right to know what their state and local governments are up to. Information that was routinely available for decades is now off limits — particularly information about dealings between government and business interests. This has led to a dangerous erosion of accountability.

We worked with a bipartisan group of lawmakers from both chambers to reverse that trend in the 2017 session. Even though our proposals didn’t pass the full legislature, we’re already working to get them passed in the 2019 session.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. http://etypeservices.com/Fayette%20County%20RecordID96/