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SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The Texas Public Information Act has recently been |
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impacted by court decisions; and |
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WHEREAS, During the 85th Legislative Session, lawmakers and |
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other stakeholders spent months collaborating on several bills to |
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improve the act, with many proposals garnering broad support; |
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despite those efforts, significant reforms failed to pass, leaving |
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TPIA still susceptible to a number of loopholes; and |
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WHEREAS, Government transparency is a vital component of an |
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informed citizenry, and it is incumbent on the State of Texas to |
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ensure that the public have access to information regarding how |
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their government functions in order to promote accountability, |
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openness, and honesty; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby request the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house |
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of representatives to create a joint interim committee to examine |
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all state open-government laws, including the Texas Public |
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Information Act, for opportunities to improve transparency and |
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accountability; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the committee submit a full report, including |
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its findings and recommendations, to the 86th Texas Legislature |
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before it convenes in January 2019; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the committee's proceedings and operations be |
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governed by such general rules and policies for joint interim |
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committees as the 85th Legislature may adopt. |