Senate Bill No. 986 seeks to improve Texas's public information law by implementing expedited response protocols and imposing penalties for bad faith requests. A significant addition is Subchapter K, which allows governmental bodies that meet specific training requirements to withhold information deemed excepted from disclosure without needing to seek an attorney general decision. The bill also introduces financial penalties, including a $1,000 charge for processing bad faith requests and a $500 daily charge for delays in providing information following a bad faith determination.

Additionally, the bill emphasizes the importance of training for public information officers, mandating a minimum of 16 hours of relevant training. It establishes a process for revoking a governmental body's authorization to respond to requests if compliance with the new requirements is not met, with the Attorney General responsible for revocations and notifications. The bill also requires the Attorney General to maintain updated lists of individuals with active training certificates and those whose authorizations have been revoked, along with data collection on the implementation of these changes. The new provisions will apply to requests received on or after September 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Government Code 552.2615, Government Code 552.263, Government Code 552.302, Government Code 552.321, Government Code 552.352, Government Code 6.03, Chapter , Government Code 552.324 (Chapter , Government Code 552, Government Code 552, Government Code 6)
Senate Committee Report: Government Code 552.2615, Government Code 552.263, Government Code 552.302, Government Code 552.321, Government Code 552.352, Government Code 6.03, Chapter , Government Code 552.324 (Chapter , Government Code 552, Government Code 552, Government Code 6)
Engrossed: Government Code 552.2615, Government Code 552.263, Government Code 552.302, Government Code 552.321, Government Code 552.352, Government Code 6.03, Chapter , Government Code 552.324 (Chapter , Government Code 552, Government Code 552, Government Code 6)