Will Texas Senate Bill 943, Which Became Law January 1 Provide Transparency in Georgetown?

The Statesman describes a state law pushed by government transparency advocates that took effect Wednesday may require local and state governmental entities to start providing answers. As a result of this law, the Statesman has initiated new requests from public entities that had previously been denied.

They are requesting a renewable energy contract involving the city of Georgetown.

State Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, author of the bill said:

“If a governmental entity enters into a contract and uses taxpayer dollars to pay that contract, the public will be able to determine the major terms of the contract, so it can play a role in determining whether it’s how they want taxpayer dollars spent,” he said.

How the law plays out will become clearer as public officials make appeals to the state attorney general about whether they can withhold information, said Kelley Shannon, executive director of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas.

It appears that the City will still be able to withhold some aspects of the utility contracts, but, they will have to prove that releasing documents would result in the disclosure of trade secrets or proprietary information.

Stay tuned!