Latest news with #PublicInformationAct
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
City of Abilene files Catastrophe Notice due to cyber attack
ABILENE, Texas () – The City of Abilene has filed a Catastrophe Notice due to a cyber attack. The Catastrophe Notice was filed with the Office of Attorney General in order for the City of Abilene to suspended the requirements for the Public Information Act from April 22 to April 28. This means that the cyber attack is preventing the City of Abilene from responding to Public Information Requests in a timely manner, which is usually required by law. Cyber incident disrupts City of Abilene's network systems, including phones Since the suspension was approved, the City doesn't have to worry about the time constraints on responding to requests until the suspension is over. During Abilene's City Council meeting Thursday, the sign language interpreter was missing as well as the live stream and computerized voting – all due to the cyber attack. City Manager Mindy Patterson said the City first learned of the cyber attack April 18 around 4:00 a.m. Out of an abundance of caution, industry experts and cyber security professionals were called in to address the issue, which is still ongoing. Certain city services remain impacted, but the City of Abilene says emergency services are still up and running, as well as water. It's mostly just areas of communication that are still experiencing problems. CityLink as well as the Abilene Public Library are just a couple of the City Departments affected. KTAB and KRBC have asked the City of Abilene multiple times about exactly which city services, departments, and functions are affected, but they say they are unable to comment further due to the ongoing investigation. No further information is available at this time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
KXAN testifies on crime victim data during House open government hearing
Austin (KXAN) — On Wednesday, KXAN Senior Investigative Producer David Barer spoke to members of the Texas House Committee on Delivery of Government Efficiency about obtaining data while investigating the state's crime victim compensation delays. 'An important issue we found is victims were telling us they were waiting up to eight months or more to get a first payment on a claim,' Barer said of KXAN's three years of reporting on the Texas Attorney General's CVC division, noting the use of budget-related data obtained from the state agency. KXAN's analysis of that data revealed recent victim claims were being averaged with sexual assault exam reimbursements, the latter of which are actually handled directly with medical providers in just days. So the attorney general's combining of the two types of claims presented a skewed narrative that payments were happening faster than reality. 'The AG's office has now acknowledged that, and they're addressing it now through the appropriations process,' Barer explained. 'But that is one example of many that I could give you of reporting that relied on searchable-sortable records that we obtained through the Public Information Act, and I know from experience that not all government bodies provide this even when they're able to and explicitly asked to do so.' Barer shared his account with lawmakers at the encouragement of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, which advocates for greater access to public information. It was among testimony surrounding House Bill 4218, which aims to codify the ability to obtain searchable-sortable records if such a format is available. 'If government information is maintained in a searchable-sortable format, it needs to be provided in that format in a public information request,' said Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, who authored the bill. Capriglione told committee members some agencies deliberately turn searchable-sortable data — like an Excel spreadsheet — into a PDF, which 'is not as useful to a requestor who is trying to sort and analyze a large amount of information.' 'In that case what you're seeing is a government entity going above and beyond to make it difficult for the public to be able to access that information,' he said. HELD UP: KXAN uncovers backlog, turnover with Texas' Crime Victims' Compensation Division The measure falls under the topics tackled by the newly-created DOGE committee, which Capriglione also chairs. Its directive includes tackling inefficiencies in government services. Capriglione said reducing 'data in its native format also reduces the workload on government employees,' because it eliminates the need to create additional documents in separate formats. 'Clarifying this issue will save time and taxpayer money,' he added. HB 4218 was left pending in committee. Its Senate companion, SB 50 filed by Sen. Judith Zafirini, D-Laredo, awaits a hearing in that chamber's 'Business & Commerce' committee. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Shining a light on government brings together Texans of all kinds
What unites Texans of all political persuasions is the nonpartisan principle that our government must operate in the sunlight. We have the right — and responsibility — to keep watch on how tax money is spent and how public officials make decisions. But it takes access to information to do it. Our state transparency laws envision citizens having power over government. Every legislative session, updates and improvements are needed so that the Texas Public Information Act and the Texas Open Meetings Act function as intended. The Texas Sunshine Coalition, representing 16 organizations with varying interests, works to protect the public's right to know. Supporters of the coalition testified this month before a key Texas House committee on enhancing public information laws. As we embark on national Sunshine Week (March 16-22) and call attention to open government, let's embrace these bipartisan sunshine proposals in the Texas Legislature: Enforcement. When governments don't respond to information requestors or don't provide all the releasable records, common sense enforcement is necessary in the Public Information Act. Requestors deserve a solid system for filing complaints with the attorney general, and government officials found to have acted wrongly should face consequences such as additional open government training. Senate Bill 919 by Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, and HB 4219 by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, would achieve this. If a requestor must file a lawsuit to force release of information, there should be a way to recover attorneys' fees if the requestor prevails. Texas appellate court decisions have made that difficult, allowing governments to hand over records at the last minute — often after costly litigation — and avoid paying legal fees. Those who successfully sue a government to obtain information need to recover attorneys' fees or, as Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, recently pointed out, 'that's not a fair fight.' Pending legislation would clarify legal fee provisions. SB 824 by Middleton, HB 2248 by Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, and SB 1291 by Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, address the issue. User friendly Initiatives. Legislative proposals to help citizens and governments better use and carry out the Public Information Act include requiring that the attorney general's office operates a toll-free open government hotline; ensuring that the government official or outside legal counsel who responds to citizens' requests completes open government training; and allowing for mediation between a requestor and a government. These are contained in SB 1294 and SB 1295 by Johnson and SB 1130 by Middleton. Disclosing basic information. Some governments store information in electronic spreadsheets but convert these documents to PDF images before producing them to the public. This conversion is unnecessary and makes it difficult to search and sort information. The attorney general's office has recommended producing documents in their original format, including spreadsheets. SB 50 by Zaffirini and HB 4218 by Capriglione would place this in law. Ensuring that dates of birth are available in public records helps verify the identification of people with common names, whether in news reporting on crime or background checks conducted by lenders, landlords and employers. Dates of birth on applications by candidates for office help voters understand who is on the ballot. Birthdate disclosure is done in patchwork fashion across Texas following an Austin appellate court ruling a few years ago. HB 3719 by Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, and SB 1293 by Johnson would eliminate confusion and restore access to this basic information. All these sunshine proposals center on preserving our rights, and the free flow of information goes hand in hand with the First Amendment liberty to freely speak out about government. 'It's about truth,' Middleton said, noting the Texas Public Information Act states that citizens grant powers to the government, not the other way around. 'The rights belong to the people.' Kelley Shannon is the executive director of the nonprofit Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. The Sunshine Coalition also includes the Texas Association of Broadcasters; Texas Press Association; Texas Public Policy Foundation; Institute for Justice; ACLU of Texas; Every Texan; Common Cause; Grassroots America; League of Women Voters of Texas; SMU School of Law First Amendment Clinic; Texas Appleseed; Texas Association of Licensed Investigators; Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom; Public Citizen; This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Shining a light on government brings Texans together | Opinion
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Yahoo
Inside the Investigation: Austin ISD policy prevents parents from seeing video of alleged crimes against kids
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Across Texas, some school districts are using an exception in the state's Public Information Act as grounds not to allow parents to view video of suspected crimes against their kids, despite state laws giving them special access. KXAN Investigative Reporter Kelly Wiley explains the story of an Austin family's fight to view records of their child amid a felony investigation into his former teacher. Join Kelly Wiley every Friday morning for a live recap of the latest headlines and in-depth reporting from the KXAN Investigates team. Austin ISD policy prevents parents from seeing video of alleged crimes against kids Investigators said video of student thrown into wall wasn't abuse, then changed their minds Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Yahoo
Austin ISD policy prevents parents from seeing video of alleged crimes against kids
Across Texas, some school districts are using an exception in the state's Public Information Act as grounds to not allow parents to view video of suspected crimes against their kids, despite state laws giving them special access. KXAN investigates as an Austin family fights to view records of their child amid a felony investigation into his former teacher. AUSTIN (KXAN) – On Sept. 11, Diana Briggs' son was at home and she was at his elementary school looking for a video. The night before, her 6-year-old told her an upsetting story. He said his first-grade teacher trapped him behind a classroom door at Margaret T. Reilly Elementary School and then pushed on it with his weight. Briggs said it lasted long enough that her son looked around the hallway for someone who might have seen them. She shared what her son told her with his school, and then the police. 'He looked really sad,' Briggs said. 'I said, 'Hey, you're not going to school tomorrow. You don't have to worry about it. I'm going to go in and see what happened.'' 12,000+ Texas kids sent to court for missing class, no one tracks what happens next Briggs learned a school security camera recorded what took place, and at the urging of her principal, Briggs said she made a public information request to view the hallway footage. She did not know then it was just the beginning of a frustrating, monthslong battle to better understand what happened to her child. In the days after her request, Briggs said a district police officer told her the video would be ready once they redacted other children's faces. The district's open records division told her the video should be ready in a couple of days. She said administrators at the school repeatedly asked her if she had seen the video yet. 'So, I keep thinking, 'OK, I am going to see it any day now,'' Briggs said. But nearly a week later, Briggs got an email from the district, saying it was denying her request. In the message, the Executive Director of School Leadership told Briggs the district was 'bound' by the law because of the ongoing investigation into her son's teacher. Records show Austin ISD's legal counsel cited an exception to the state's Public Information Act, giving governmental bodies the choice to withhold video and other evidence from the public if they believe it could interfere with an active investigation. The statute is often used when third parties, like journalists, request police records. 'How am I going to interfere with this investigation?' Briggs asked. 'Do you understand it is part of the process of getting our son help? To be able to tell a mental health provider 'this is exactly what happened' because we saw it with our eyes.' Texas mom waits months for camera in daughter's Special Education class The district told Briggs, in an email, it was following an internal Austin ISD Police Department policy, which prevents them from releasing video during open investigations. 'The parents should be an exception to that. It makes no sense why we shouldn't be. Our child was involved,' Briggs said. KXAN reached out to more than 50 school districts in Central Texas about policies for parents viewing videos of suspected abuse against their students. Most school districts did not respond to our questions about their policies for inspecting videos related to a criminal investigation. However, several school districts across Central Texas described similar policies of withholding videos and other records from parents at law enforcement's request. Hays Independent School District officials said parents can view video of their own child, but if there is a criminal investigation the district would defer to the investigating agency and whether it wants the video to be released. Officials with Flatonia ISD, Schulenberg ISD, Hutto ISD, Eanes ISD, Thorndale ISD, and Burnet ISD all explained during a criminal investigation, parents' access to video footage of their children might be delayed depending on law enforcement guidance or directives. Education attorney Martin Cirkiel says parents are an exception under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act and the Texas Public Information Act, which gives parents a 'special right of access.' 'If I want information about you, I may not get it, but if I want information about myself or my kid, I'm supposed to get it under the Open Records Act anyway,' Cirkiel said. 'Information where, once again, this is video of my child being abused.' Austin ISD declined multiple interview requests from KXAN. After our questions, district officials said they reviewed the policy but do not plan to change it, at this time, because they believe the protocol preserves the integrity of investigations. In a statement to KXAN, district officials said, 'In the past, we have had families publicly release videos that are a part of an open investigation. When cases are judged in the court of public opinion, that can jeopardize how the case ultimately gets prosecuted.' 'I was never trying to take the video home. I wanted to go and view it there,' said Briggs. 'They told us 'Once the investigation is over, you will be able to view the video.' Once it's no longer an active investigation,' Briggs said. Texas parents demand lawmaker action on restraints in schools In October, the Briggs family thought that time had finally come. The teacher at the center of the case, who resigned from the district later that month, was arrested on a charge of unlawful restraint of Briggs' son. Detectives explained in the arrest affidavit, on video the teacher is seen 'quickly and forcefully opening the door towards the wall … while the student victim is standing in between the door and the wall.' The teacher, and his attorney, have not responded to a request for comment from KXAN. 'It's not an active investigation anymore — allow me and my husband to come and view the video,' Briggs said, recalling how they again asked the district for access. But once again, records show, the district denied their request. This time, because the case is pending prosecution. In response to the request, the district said it believed the video was still confidential under the same exception. 'We are unsure of how long the case will be prosecuted for, but after the case is closed in court, you can make another request,' the district's Open Records Division responded. Records show that since Briggs sent her original request to view the video, the district's legal counsel sent at least three letters to the Office of the Attorney General asking whether the district was right to withhold the video. In response to the district's initial letter, state attorneys said they would not issue an opinion because the district had not provided all the relevant information. Video appears to show Texas teacher tossing student into the wall On Dec. 5, an employee with the AG's office left a voicemail for Briggs explaining the agency's decision to not rule on the matter, including a suggestion that she 'follow up with the district and see whether they will release the information.' The AG's office did not respond to our questions, and the case is still under review by the state's attorneys. More than one Texas lawmaker has filed legislation this session that could change how districts respond to parents seeking records on their children. Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, filed House Bill 728 which would require school districts to respond faster once parents ask to view video of their student. Sen. Bob Hall, R-Rockwall, also introduced legislation that would ensure school districts cannot withhold written or electronic student records from parents, including counseling and psychological records. Nearly five months after Briggs' report, the criminal prosecution of the teacher's case is underway and the district is still not allowing her to watch the video at the center of the case. 'Multiple people have said 'Have you seen the video yet? Well, once you see it, you are going to have a lot of feelings.' … OK, show it to me then,' Briggs said. 'It should be something that they just want to provide to us to help us — to help this student.' KXAN Digital Data Reporter Christopher Adams, Graphic Artist Wendy Gonzalez, Investigative Producer Dalton Huey, Director of Investigations & Innovation Josh Hinkle, Investigative Photojournalist Chris Nelson and Digital Director Kate Winkle contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
