Hall receives TPA's transparency award

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  • Sen Bob Hall accepts the Champion of Transparency Award from Donnis Baggett and Mike Hodges of Texas Press Association. Courtesy/Texas Press Association
    Sen Bob Hall accepts the Champion of Transparency Award from Donnis Baggett and Mike Hodges of Texas Press Association. Courtesy/Texas Press Association
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Sen. Bob Hall, R-Rockwall, has been named a “Champion of Transparency” by the Texas Press Association for open-government bills he filed in the Texas Legislature this year.

Hall filed legislation requiring telephone access to meetings held remotely by a government entity. Without phone access, citizens without a computer cannot observe or participate in those meetings. He also filed a bill which would have put an end to taxpayer-funded lobbying.

“In every session of the Legislature, lobbyists who are paid with taxpayers’ money push for legislation that would weaken open government laws,” said Mike Hodges, executive director of the press association. “Government bodies are using our money to make it tougher for citizens to keep up with what they are doing. If it had passed, Sen. Hall’s SB 234 would have put an end to that.”

"Government exists to serve the public good, and its business should be subject to public scrutiny,” Hall said. "People deserve transparency from their elected officials and institutions. Without transparency, there is no accountability when leaders abuse their positions or compromise the public faith. As a state senator, I pride myself on upholding these principles and serving my constituents and Texas with honor."

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.