Needling the Haystack

But not every district knew how to handle an information request. "A lot of it has to do with ignorance of the law and the need for more public awareness and training," says Tom Kelley, spokesman for Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, whose office is in charge of enforcing compliance with the public information act.

Kelley points to a law that went into effect this January, requiring all public officials to take a training course on how to handle information requests. And even though there are no explicit penalties when someone doesn't bother, Kelley says officials who don't take the training won't have much to stand on in any future disputes with the AG.

"It really is almost a no-brainer," he says. "If you're a public official, you need to know this law."

And knowledge is a good thing, or at least that's what they taught us in school.

The Ins and Outs of Information

Here's what you need to make a public information request. Now, go on. It's your right.

• You can't walk into the Quickie Mart and demand to see the beer receipts; only governmental bodies are subject to the public information act. These include school boards, the police department, city hall, the governor's office -- basically any place that receives public funds, save for the judiciary, which has its own set of rules.

• You can request only documents that already exist. No conjecture. No research. No hidden glances. Only stuff such as e-mails, memos, transcriptions, spreadsheets, digital files, video or sound recordings -- pretty much anything you can think of, so long as it's not just the product of wishful thinking.

• The request has to be in writing. You can talk all you want, but agencies aren't required to provide anything unless the request is written out. If you don't have access to a typewriter or computer, just write it out by hand. Good spelling and penmanship are optional, but at least make sure it's legible.

• It's nobody's business why you want the information. Public officials aren't allowed to ask. Whether you're a reporter or a taxpayer or a tin-foil activist, you've got the right to know what's up without being harassed.

• Don't fall for the "ten days" stall tactic. All kinds of folks will tell you they've got ten days to hand over the information. They're wrong. Requests are supposed to be fulfilled promptly.

• Any questions or problems, call the Texas attorney general's open records hot line at 877-673-6839. -- Keith Plocek