85R932 DDT-D
	By: Schofield	H.B. No. 526

	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
	AN ACT
	relating to certain persons' entitlement to public information.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1.  Section 552.001(a), Government Code, is amended
	to read as follows:
	(a)  Under the fundamental philosophy of the American
	constitutional form of representative government that adheres to
	the principle that government is the servant and not the master of
	the people, it is the policy of this state that each person whose
	primary residence is in this state is entitled, unless otherwise
	expressly provided by law, at all times to complete information
	about the affairs of government and the official acts of public
	officials and employees. The people, in delegating authority, do
	not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for
	the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people
	insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over
	the instruments they have created. The provisions of this chapter
	shall be liberally construed to implement this policy.
	SECTION 2.  Section 552.021, Government Code, is amended to
	read as follows:
	Sec. 552.021.  AVAILABILITY OF PUBLIC INFORMATION. Public
	information is available to any person whose primary residence is
	in this state [the public] at a minimum during the normal business
	hours of the governmental body.
	SECTION 3.  Subchapter B, Chapter 552, Government Code, is
	amended by adding Section 552.030 to read as follows:
	Sec. 552.030.  REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FROM NONRESIDENT.
	(a)  If a governmental body receives a request for information from
	a person whose primary residence is not in this state, the
	governmental body may, but is not required to, accept or comply with
	the request.
	(b)  A governmental body may ask a requestor to provide the
	physical address at which the requestor resides in order to
	establish the requestor's residency.  If, not later than the 10th
	business day following the date the governmental body's request is
	sent to the requestor, the requestor fails to provide information
	establishing residency in this state, the governmental body may,
	for purposes of the request, treat the requestor as a person whose
	primary residence is not in this state.
	SECTION 4.  Section 552.221(a), Government Code, is amended
	to read as follows:
	(a)  An officer for public information of a governmental body
	shall promptly produce public information for inspection,
	duplication, or both on application by any person whose primary
	residence is in this state to the officer. In this subsection,
	"promptly" means as soon as possible under the circumstances, that
	is, within a reasonable time, without delay.
	SECTION 5.  Section 552.222(a), Government Code, is amended
	to read as follows:
	(a)  The officer for public information and the officer's
	agent may not make an inquiry of a requestor except:
	(1)  to establish proper identification;
	(2)  to confirm that the requestor's primary residence
	is in this state; or
	(3)  [except] as provided by Subsection (b), (c), or
	(c-1).
	SECTION 6.  Section 552.223, Government Code, is amended to
	read as follows:
	Sec. 552.223.  UNIFORM TREATMENT OF REQUESTS FOR
	INFORMATION. The officer for public information or the officer's
	agent shall treat all requests for information from persons to whom
	the officer is required to produce public information under Section
	552.221(a) uniformly without regard to the position or occupation
	of the requestor, the person on whose behalf the request is made, or
	the status of the individual as a member of the media.
	SECTION 7.  The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
	a request for public information made on or after the effective date
	of this Act.
	SECTION 8.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.