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6 Document(s) [ Subject: Open records requests and decisions ]

Committee:	Senate State Affairs
Title:	Interim Report
Subjects:	Affordable housing | Age (Law) | Agriculture | Alcohol laws and regulations | Audits | Beverages | Bingo | BlackRock | Boycotts | Child welfare | Children's mental health | Citizenship | Compassionate Use Act, Texas | Countywide Polling Place Program | Distilleries | e-commerce | Election administration | Election security | Electioneering | Elections | Emergency shelters | Environmental, Social, and Governance | Farm Bill | Farm produce | Financial investments | Foreign real estate transactions | Freedom of speech | Gambling | Government transparency | Hemp | High tech industry | Homelessness | Immigrants | Impeachment | Investment of public funds | Ku Klux Klan | Landlords and tenants | Lottery Commission, Texas | Lottery.com | Marijuana | Minors | Natural gas industry | Oil industry | Open government | Open Meetings Act, Texas | Open records requests and decisions | Paxton, Ken | Political violence | Pornography | Primary elections | Product safety | Public demonstrations | Public Information Act, Texas | Public retirement systems | Real estate transactions | Runoff elections | School districts | Secretary of State, Texas | Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act | Social media | State comparisons | Substance abuse | Texas Constitution | Texas Distilled Spirits Association | Texas history | Texas Lottery | Transitional housing | U.S. Constitution | Voter registration |
Library Call Number:	L1836.88 ST29A
Session:	88th R.S. (2023)
Online version:	View report [93 pages  File size: 2,963 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Maintaining Election Security: Identify threats to Texas’s election integrity, including those from "Big Tech" and foreign entities. Recommend ways to neutralize such threats. Additionally, evaluate the countywide polling place program in Texas. Make recommendations to address countywide polling issues, such as increased wait times, longer travel distances, supply shortages, and reporting irregularities. Evaluate current laws that prohibit political subdivisions and public school districts from using government resources for illegal electioneering. Make recommendations to strengthen these laws and put a stop to illegal electioneering.
2.	Social Media & Protecting Children: Study the impact of social media use on children. Review current mechanisms in place to protect minors online. Monitor the implementation of HB 18, 88th R.S., relating to the protection of minors from harmful, deceptive, or unfair trade practices in connection with the use of certain digital services and electronic devices, including the use and transfer of electronic devices to students by a public school. Make policy recommendations to further protect Texas children online.
3.	Protecting Texas Land and Assets: Evaluate strategic land and asset acquisitions in Texas by foreign entities that threaten the safety and security of the United States. Further, evaluate large-scale purchases of single-family homes by domestic entities and its impact on housing affordability for Texas families. Make recommendations to ensure Texans are secure from foreign threats and homes are affordable in our state.
4.	Responsible Investing: Study the impact of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors on our state’s public pensions, with a focus on proxy voting services. Make recommendations to ensure our state’s pension systems vote and invest in accordance with their fiduciary responsibility to maximize profit. Additionally, monitor the implementation of SB 13, 87th R.S., relating to state contracts with and investments in certain companies that boycott energy companies. Specifically, examine how a company is removed from the list of companies that boycott energy companies when the company ceases to boycott energy companies. Report on how frequently the list maintained by the comptroller is updated and make recommendations to ensure an ongoing accurate list.
5.	Banning Delta 8 and 9: Examine the sale of intoxicating hemp products in Texas. Make recommendations to further regulate the sale of these products, and suggest legislation to stop retailers who market these products to children.
6.	Impeachment Reform: Evaluate the constitutional and statutory impeachment procedures in our state. Make recommendations to ensure a fair and transparent process.
7.	Runoff Elections: Study the prerequisites, timing, and efficiency of runoff elections. Make recommendations to increase the efficiency and lower the costs of runoff elections. Examine the 50% vote threshold to avoid a runoff, particularly when four or more candidates are running for the same office. Report whether the vote percentage threshold should be lowered in some instances.
8.	Lottery: Study "lottery courier services," which allow their clients to purchase lottery tickets over the internet. Report on the number of couriers and the magnitude of sales from such services in Texas. Determine whether courier services are operating legally in Texas and whether a change in law is needed to respond to technological advancements to protect children in our state and to maintain original legislative intent. Recommend legislation to clarify Texas’s laws regarding online lottery sales.
9.	Unmasking Protestors: Study the use of face coverings and hoods designed to conceal the identity of those bent on committing crimes at protests. Recommend legislation to stop the chaos and destruction by those who attempt to commit crimes while concealing their identity during public gatherings.
10.	Stop Noncitizen Voting: Evaluate the current safeguards in place to prevent noncitizens from voting in elections. Recommend legislation to facilitate the removal of noncitizen voters from the voter rolls as well as legislation to prevent noncitizens from registering to vote in Texas.
11.	Beverages with THC: Evaluate Texas laws and regulations concerning THC beverage manufacturing and delivery. Report on the current regulations and safeguards Texas may or may not have in place for drinks with any amount of THC. Recommend legislation to protect Texas consumers.
12.	Public Trust in Government: Examine the current state of accountability, ethics, and transparency in local government. Recommend ways to bolster public trust in local government by strengthening the Public Information Act and Open Meetings Act.
13.	Addressing Homelessness: Study programs that address the homelessness crisis in Texas. Specifically, review programs like Haven for Hope and determine whether such programs could be a model throughout our state. Propose legislation to address the root causes of homelessness by expanding successful programs for cities of all sizes.
14.	Election Audit Reports: Evaluate the Secretary of State’s election audit reports. Make recommendations to secure our elections and ensure counties follow the law.
15.	Monitoring: Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on State Affairs passed by the 88th Legislature. Specifically, evaluate the impact of SB 2284, 88th R.S. relating to the sale of distilled spirits to ultimate consumers by the holder of a distiller's and rectifier's permit. Report whether the increased sale of distilled spirits has had a positive impact on economic development and public safety in this industry.
Committee:	Senate Open Government, Select
Title:	Interim Report
Subjects:	Attorney General opinions | Electronic security | Email | Historical records | Open records requests and decisions | Public Information Act, Texas | Records management |
Library Call Number:	L1836.82 Op2
Session:	82nd R.S. (2011)
Online version:	View report [22 pages]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Evaluate the need for revisions to the Public Information Act to address changes in the performance of public functions and make recommendations for changes. Specifically, consider the following: the use of new technologies and future technological advances as relates to the creation of public information; the extent to which the Public Information Act impacts third-party contractors with state and local government; the need to codify or clarify existing Attorney General opinions.
2.	Examine the effectiveness of security measures used to protect electronic information held by state agencies and make recommendations for enhancing security, if needed.
3.	Review record retention policies for state and local governments and make recommendations for improvements to record retention schedules and policies, including e-­mail retention and archiving requirements. Consider the benefits and disadvantages of creating a uniform record retention policy.
4.	Study ways to define and address frivolous and/or overly-burdensome open records requests. Include an analysis of appropriate cost recovery by governmental entities for expenses and time related to responding to requests, while ensuring the public has adequate access to public information.
Committee:	House Civil Practices
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	House Committee on Civil Practices, Texas House of Representatives interim report, 2002 : a report to the House of Representatives, 78th Texas Legislature.
Subjects:	Alternative dispute resolution | Consumer protection | Homeland security | Judicial interpretation of legislation | Liability | National security | Open records requests and decisions | Public information | Public Information Act, Texas | Rules of evidence | Statutory revision | Supreme Court, Texas | Terrorism |
Library Call Number:	L1836.77 c498
Session:	77th R.S. (2001)
Online version:	View report [162 pages  File size: 7,486 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Examine practices by courts and attorneys in product liability cases that may be detrimental to public health and safety. The review should include the sealing of records that might assist the public in assessing the dangers of using a product, agreements not to disclose information to the public or regulatory agencies, and any other rules, practices or laws deemed relevant by the committee.
2.	Examine changes over the last decade to the civil justice system that affect the right of litigants (citizens or businesses) to receive appropriate review by a judicial body, including arbitration, mediation, other types of alternative dispute resolution.
3.	Review changes in federal laws and law enforcement procedures, as well as recommendations from state and national agencies charged with homeland protection, to assess the need for changes in state civil laws to protect life and property and to detect, interdict and respond to acts of terrorism.
4.	Review recent decisions of Texas appellate courts and identify those decisions that: (1) clearly failed to properly implement legislative purposes, (2) found two or more statutes to be in conflict, (3) held a statute to be unconstitutional, (4) expressly found a statute to be ambiguous, or (5) expressly suggested legislative action.
5.	Monitor the rule-making proceedings of the Texas Supreme Court.
Committee:	Senate Economic Development, Interim
Title:	Interim report - Telecommunications and insurance
Library Catalog Title:	Report on telecommunications and insurance.
Subjects:	Homeowners insurance | Insurance industry | Insurance, Texas Department of | Liability | Long distance telephone service | Managed care | Open records requests and decisions | Patients' rights | Public Information Act, Texas | Public Utility Commission of Texas | Public Utility Regulatory Act | Racial discrimination | Telecommunications infrastructure | Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund | Telephone deregulation | Telephone service |
Library Call Number:	L1836.75 ec74t
Session:	75th R.S. (1997)
Online version:	View report [308 pages  File size: 12,707 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Study the effect of property insurance form deregulation, as addressed in SB 1499, 75th R.S., passed by the Legislature during the 1997 regular session, on the affordability and availability of homeowners insurance.
2.	Monitor the implementation of SB 386, 75th R.S., passed by the Legislature during the 1997 regular session, regarding managed care liability, including the development of the rules and standards governing the certification, selection, and operation of independent review organizations.
3.	Study and assess the effectiveness of HB 2128, 74th R.S., passed by the Legislature during the 1995 regular session, including but not limited to: the deployment of an advanced telecommunications infrastructure in Texas; the development of competition in the local telecommunications market in Texas; and the use of the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund in improving the capabilities of Texas schools, libraries and public hospitals. In its evaluation, the Committee should identify any remaining barriers to the development of full competition in the telecommunications market in Texas and make recommendations, if necessary, for any legislative or regulatory action.
4.	Review the process used by the Texas Department of Insurance and the Attorney General in making determinations regarding public disclosure of insurance data and, if necessary, make recommendations to streamline and standardize the process.
5.	Review and make recommendations, if needed, to clarify what insurance market-related data should be in the public domain and what information should be considered proprietary data to preserve competition. This review should consider both statistical data and underwriting guidelines.
Committee:	Senate Public Information, Interim
Title:	Interim report
Library Catalog Title:	Interim report to the 76th Legislature.
Subjects:	Open government | Open records requests and decisions | Privacy | Public Information Act, Texas |
Library Call Number:	L1836.75 p96
Session:	75th R.S. (1997)
Online version:	View report [215 pages  File size: 10,203 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Identify areas of concern associated with the Public Information Act, (formerly known as the Open Records Act), including harassment, commercial enterprise, circumvention of the Act's requirements, delays in production of information, access and availability of information, costs and expenditure of public resources. If necessary, make recommendations for legislative action.
2.	Study the impact of the Public Information Act on privacy interests of Texans and monitor the implementation of SB 1069, 75th R.S., passed by the Legislature during the 1997 regular session, and developments in federal law regarding these issues.
3.	Review the role of technology as it applies to the Public Information Act, such as the Internet, and study pertinent issues in the public information process, including but not limited to whether HB 1718, 74th R.S., passed by the Legislature during the 1995 regular session, adequately responds to technological advances.
Committee:	House State Affairs
Title:	Interim report
Library Catalog Title:	Committee on State Affairs, Texas House of Representatives interim report, 1994 : a report to the House of Representatives, 74th Texas Legislature.
Subjects:	Consumer credit and debt | Consumer protection | Databases | Internet | Open government | Open records requests and decisions | Public information | Public Information Act, Texas | Public Utility Commission of Texas | Public Utility Regulatory Act | Rental companies | Sale-leaseback agreements | State agency mandated reports | Websites |
Library Call Number:	L1836.73 st29
Session:	73rd R.S. (1993)
Online version:	View report [103 pages  File size: 3,584 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Conduct active oversight of agencies under the committee's jurisdiction, including a study of mandated reports to the legislature and legislative agencies. The study should consist of a review of the legislative reporting requirements of all agencies to identify areas where reporting obligations could be streamlined and agency accountability improved. The committee shall make specific recommendations about the continuation, modification or elimination of required legislative reports.
2.	Consider revisions to the Open Records Act to clarify its meaning and utility in light of the number of information files now maintained on computers.
3.	Study the feasibility of a consolidated Texas state government database to improve electronic access to legislative information, information maintained by state agencies, the Texas Register and other information of public interest and importance.
4.	Examine the laws related to consumer finance and installment purchases to determine whether changes in the laws, their interpretation or enforcement are necessary to protect the public interest.
5.	Evaluate the public benefits of requiring the Public Utilities Commission to grant incentive rates of return to electric and telecommunications utilities that exceed certain efficiency thresholds, and to levy a rate of return penalty on utilities that fail to achieve established efficiency standards.

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