A pair of lawmakers filed bills Tuesday to lift the curtain of secrecy on taxpayer funds spent by private companies and organizations that was allowed by separate Texas Supreme Court decisions. The bills by state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, and Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, would overturn provisions sanctioned by the high court that allowed final contract details and bids on public contracts to remain secret. The bills also would require disclosure of funding details to private organizations and entities in all cases, not just those sustained by public funds.
In separate rulings, the Texas Supreme Court earlier allowed the Greater Houston Partnership to keep secret details about the public funding it receives, and exempted the release of some details of a lease between the Boeing Co. and the Port Authority of San Antonio because the aerospace manufacturer said making the details public could tip off its competitors. Read more…