S.B. No. 986 amends the Government Code to enhance public information law by introducing expedited response procedures and imposing penalties for bad faith requests. A significant addition is Subchapter K, which allows governmental bodies that meet specific training and authorization criteria to withhold information deemed excepted from disclosure without needing to seek an attorney general's decision. The bill also establishes financial penalties for governmental bodies that submit bad faith requests, including a $1,000 processing fee and a $500 daily charge for delays in providing information after a bad faith determination.

Additionally, the bill emphasizes the importance of training for public information officers, mandating a minimum of 16 hours of training on their responsibilities under the new subchapter. The Attorney General is responsible for ensuring the availability of this training and maintaining records of training certificates. The bill also introduces provisions for the revocation of a governmental body's authorization to respond to requests if compliance requirements are not met, with the Attorney General having the authority to revoke such authorizations. Furthermore, the Attorney General is required to publish lists of individuals with active training certificates and those whose authorizations have been revoked, along with data on compliance and training, which must be made publicly available by February 1, 2027. The new provisions will apply only to information requests received on or after the effective date of the Act, 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 (Government Code 6, Government Code 552, Chapter , Government Code 552)