Editor's Note

The FOI Advocate is a compendium of ideas, edited story excerpts and other materials from a variety of Web sites, as well as original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly from another source, it will be attributed and a link will be provided whenever possible. The blog relies on the accuracy and integrity of the original sources cited. We will correct errors and inaccuracies when we become aware of them.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Texas Legislature could hide employee birth dates from public

The Dallas Morning News has used the birth dates of state employees to confirm that the Texas Youth Commission had 266 employees with criminal records, that hundreds of Dallas Independent School District employees had criminal records, that some Texas school teachers were registered sex offenders and that "scores of drug and sex offenders are licensed nurses in Texas." Soon, investigations such as these may be impossible in Texas, where legislators are proposing to exempt employees' birth dates from the Texas Public Information Act, citing identify theft concerns.

They're back.

Your legislators are at work in Austin. And they're busily drawing up changes to state law.

One proposal, introduced by Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, would exempt dates of birth of public employees from the Texas Public Information Act.

More here.

No comments: