TO:	Honorable Charles Schwertner, Chair, Senate Committee on Business & Commerce

FROM:	Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board

IN RE:	HB4310 by Vasut (Relating to a special right of access under the public information law for a member of a governing board.), As Engrossed

The bill grants governing board members of governmental and non-governmental entities a special right of access to public records. It is assumed that any costs associated with the bill could be absorbed using existing resources.

The bill would create a process for providing the requested information. The bill would establish a process through which the Attorney General will determine if the information requested is confidential under the law. A ruling by the Attorney General may be appealed to a Travis County district court. The bill would allow a board member to seek a writ of mandamus from a district court to compel compliance if a government or nongovernmental entity fails to comply with the requirements of the bill. The revenue impact would be dependent on the number of requests made, the timing and scale of any litigation, and associated attorney's fees, expenses, and court costs, and cannot be determined.

LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 89TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION


May 20, 2025