Governmental entities in Texas, and the companies that transact
with them, should be aware of new changes in Texas "open
government" law that may affect how they do business. On
September 1, 2013, changes in state law became effective that are
intended to make Texas "open government" law more open.
These changes affect the Texas Public Information Act (TPIA) and
the obligations of public officials, employees and private
companies to comply with Texas open records law.
Texas Public Information Act
The TPIA gives the public the right to request access to
government information. Subject to certain exceptions, governmental
bodies must timely disclose "public information" upon
request or seek a decision from the Attorney General to withhold
records. The data of third-parties that contract with governmental
bodies is often implicated by open records requests, and
third-parties that contract with governmental bodies or respond to
governmental bids should be aware of their
