Written for The Texas Observer legislative blog "Floor Pass."
Newspaper editors, their lawyers and other transparency advocates called for a clearer, more inclusive open records law today, supporting a bill by Rep. Todd Hunter (R-Corpus Christi) that would formalize policies for disclosing electronic communication. Witnesses in the House Government Efficiency and Reform Committee said officials in Austin, Dallas, Corpus Christi and other Texas cities have been skirting open records requests for years, in part because emails, texts and instant messages still represent a gray area in the Texas Public Information Act. Read more.