Texas House Bill HB4147

Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Caption

Relating to the persons exempted from the required prepayment of the personnel costs incurred by a governmental body in responding to requests from a requestor under the public information law that require large amounts of personnel time.

Impact

If enacted, HB4147 would specifically alter the financial responsibilities of requestors who seek access to public information. The bill would potentially reduce the financial burden on media outlets by exempting them from prepayment of personnel costs incurred by governmental bodies when large amounts of time are needed to fulfill information requests. This could lead to an increase in the volume of public information accessed and reported by the media, thereby promoting greater transparency and accountability in government actions.

Summary

House Bill 4147 seeks to amend Section 552.275 of the Government Code, which pertains to the cost prepayment required from requestors under the public information law. The bill aims to introduce exemptions for certain media representatives, specifically those working for licensed radio or television stations, qualifying newspapers, and magazines published frequently or online. By doing so, it acknowledges the importance of media in accessing governmental information, thus enhancing transparency in governmental operations.

Contention

While the bill broadly seeks to facilitate access to public records for media representatives, it may raise concerns among governance advocates regarding the treatment of other requestors. By prioritizing media outlets over individual citizens or non-media organizations, there may be implications for equal access to public information. Some stakeholders may argue that all requestors should be treated equally, regardless of their affiliation with the media. This aspect could spark discussions on fairness in the application of public information laws and the potential for a different set of standards based on the requestor's identity.