Bill
SB 407
85(R) - 2017
Senate Business & Commerce
Senate Business & Commerce
Open Records
Purchasing
Transparency
Vote Recommendation
Yes
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Neutral
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Neutral
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Neutral
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Positive
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Neutral
Author(s)
Kirk Watson
Co-Author(s)
Dawn Buckingham
Konni Burton
Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa
Don Huffines
Jane Nelson
Charles Schwertner
Van Taylor
Bill Caption
Relating to the exception from disclosure under the public
information law for information related to competition or bidding.
Fiscal Notes
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
Bill Analysis
Under current law, the government may refuse to disclose information publicly if its release would give advantage to a competitor or bidder. SB 407 would require the governmental body to demonstrate that the information would give such an advantage. In addition, this bill would require executed proposals, awarded bids, accounts, vouchers, and contracts not to be granted this exemption from disclosure.
Vote Recommendation Notes
This bill upholds our principle of limited government because it fosters transparency by making it more difficult to exempt state information from public disclosure. For this reason, we support SB 407.