House Bill No. 4218 aims to enhance the maintenance and production of electronic public information under Texas public information law. The bill amends Section 552.002(a-2) of the Government Code to clarify that "public information" includes electronic communications related to official business and data dictionaries that describe the type of information in a database, excluding metadata that pertains to security. Additionally, a new section, 552.2285, is introduced, defining "electronic public information" as information maintained in a searchable or sortable electronic format. This section outlines the responsibilities of governmental bodies regarding the provision of electronic public information, ensuring that the public's right to access such information is not compromised by the use of electronic recordkeeping systems.

The bill also includes provisions that require governmental bodies to provide requested electronic public information in the format requested by the requestor, whether that be a searchable format or a paper printout. It prohibits governmental bodies from refusing to provide information based on the complexity of exporting or redacting data, as long as the necessary commands can be executed with existing software. Furthermore, it mandates that contracts for the creation and maintenance of electronic public information should not hinder public access. The bill repeals Section 552.231 and amends Section 118.011(e) to align with these changes, with the new provisions taking effect on September 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Local Government Code 118.011, Government Code 552.231 (Government Code 552, Local Government Code 118)
House Committee Report: Local Government Code 118.011, Government Code 552.231 (Government Code 552, Local Government Code 118)