A press release detailed that State Rep. Brooks Landgraf, R-Odessa, has been recognized as a “Champion of Transparency” by the Texas Press Association.
Landgraf filed legislation earlier this year seeking to restore a required newspaper public notice of “no-new-revenue” and “voter-approval” property tax rate calculations by governmental taxing entities. That requirement was eliminated in a last-minute amendment to a tax reform bill in the 2019 legislative session, which allowed government entities to post the information solely on their websites instead of the local newspaper.
Landgraf’s 2021 bill to restore the newspaper notice won the approval of the House Ways and Means committee, but was never set for a vote in the full House.
“Rep. Landgraf’s bill would have restored access to important information to Texans who rely on their newspaper to keep them informed about how their local governments set their tax rates,” Mike Hodges, executive director of the Texas Press Association, stated in the press release. “It is cruelly ironic that the requirement for the newspaper notice that was eliminated in 2019 was in a tax reform bill touted as increasing transparency.”
Landgraf reportedly thanked the newspaper association for the recognition.
“I’m honored to be recognized for something that I personally value so highly,” Landgraf stated in the press release. “Transparency and accountability are the absolute bedrock foundations of our constitutional republic. When elected officials or unelected bureaucrats withhold information from the public, they are in effect taking power away from We the People. That is why I will never stop fighting to increase transparency at all levels of government and why I’m grateful to the Texas Press Association for continuing to make transparency a priority.”
Donnis Baggett, executive vice president of the press association, said many taxpayers are left in the dark by public notices that are posted only on government websites.
“Not everyone has access to a computer to wade through a government website. And not too many who do have computers know where or how to find this information,” Baggett stated in the press release. “We’re grateful that Rep. Landgraf stood up for the people’s right to know, even though the bill didn’t pass.”
The Texas Press Association, which represents some 400 newspapers across Texas, lobbies for freedom of speech, open records, open meetings and public notices. The association presents Champion of Transparency awards to state officials who distinguish themselves as advocates for open government.
