Monitoring the Session

SB 1291

Johnson Bill Lets You Sue Over Open Meetings And Records

Died in committee

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Sen. Nathan JohnsonDSenate 16

Initial review · graded Oct 20, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to the authority of certain persons to bring an action for declaratory judgment under the open meetings law or public information law regarding compliance or action by a governmental body.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Includes fights over records cost estimates. Courts can stick the government with your attorney’s fees.

The bill lets people go to court to get a judge's ruling on whether a government body followed the Texas open meetings law or public information law. Any interested person, including news media, can sue under the open meetings law, and a person who asked for records, or the attorney general, can sue under the public information law, including over cost estimates for records. Courts may make the government body pay court costs and attorney's fees, and the law takes effect right away if two-thirds of each house votes for it, or September 1, 2025 if not.

Labels

Labels: NEVER GOT A HEARING. Filed Feb 14, 2025 and referred to the Senate Business & Commerce committee. No public hearing. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB1291 · 2025-02-14

SOLD BY

Sen. Nathan JohnsonDSenate 16

+ 1 coauthor

ITEM

relating to the authority of certain persons to bring an action for declaratory judgment under the open meetings law or public information law regarding compliance or action by a governmental body.

WHAT IT DOES

Includes fights over records cost estimates. Courts can stick the government with your attorney’s fees.

The bill lets people go to court to get a judge's ruling on whether a government body followed the Texas open meetings law or public information law. Any interested person, including news media, can sue under the open meetings law, and a person who asked for records, or the attorney general, can sue under the public information law, including over cost estimates for records. Courts may make the government body pay court costs and attorney's fees, and the law takes effect right away if two-thirds of each house votes for it, or September 1, 2025 if not.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

HISTORY

  1. Received by the Secretary of the Senate
  2. Filed
  3. Read first time
  4. Referred to Business & Commerce
  5. Co-author authorized
FILED UNDER

SPEECH AND LAWFARE

THE TEXT

“A court hearing an action under this section may award costs and reasonable and necessary attorney's fees”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The bill creates new lawsuits against government bodies over open meetings and public records, with fee awards available to the people who bring them.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Nathan Johnson

Donors

Daniel Cocanougher$250,000Texas Sands PAC$130KMarguerite Hoffman$125,000

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Jul 1, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Daniel Cocanougher$250,000.00
Texas Sands PAC$129,500.00

Texas Sands PAC

$129,500.00

Cash
$129,500.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$129,500.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 27, 2024 to May 12, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100990378, 101033698, 101040111, 101052272.

Marguerite Hoffman$125,000.00
Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

×

Texas Sands PAC

$129,500.00

Cash
$129,500.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$129,500.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 27, 2024 to May 12, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100990378, 101033698, 101040111, 101052272.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Fiscal

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Feb 14, 2025

02/28/2025 S Referred to Business & Commerce

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Coauthors
Mayes MiddletonRSenate 11

Senate committee · Business & Commerce · Final status: Died in committee

Subjects

Civil Remedies & Liabilities

Open Meetings

Open Records

Text

The text as introduced · 391 words

89R3592 TJB-F

By: Johnson
S.B. No. 1291

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the authority of certain persons to bring an action for

declaratory judgment under the open meetings law or public

information law regarding compliance or action by a governmental

body.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subchapter G, Chapter 551, Government Code, is

amended by adding Section 551.1425 to read as follows:

Sec. 551.1425. DECLARATORY JUDGMENT. (a) An interested

person, including a member of the news media, may bring an action

for declaratory judgment to:

(1) determine whether a governmental body has complied

with a provision of this chapter; or

(2) construe a provision of this chapter in connection

with a legal or factual position taken by the governmental body

concerning the provision.

(b) A court hearing an action under this section may award

costs and reasonable and necessary attorney's fees as provided by

Section 37.009, Civil Practice and Remedies Code.

SECTION 2. Subchapter H, Chapter 552, Government Code, is

amended by adding Section 552.3214 to read as follows:

Sec. 552.3214. DECLARATORY JUDGMENT. A requestor or the

attorney general may bring an action for declaratory judgment

involving a request for information made to a governmental body

under this chapter to determine:

(1) whether the governmental body has complied with a

provision of this chapter; or

(2) the accuracy of a legal or factual position taken

by the governmental body, including as part of:

(A) a determination of the estimated cost of

providing requested information; or

(B) a request for a decision from the attorney

general under Subchapter G.

SECTION 3. The heading to Section 552.3215, Government

Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 552.3215. DECLARATORY JUDGMENT OR INJUNCTIVE RELIEF

FOLLOWING COMPLAINT .

SECTION 4. Section 552.323, Government Code, is amended by

adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:

(c) A court hearing an action under Section 552.3214 or

552.3215 may award costs and reasonable and necessary attorney's

fees as provided by Section 37.009, Civil Practice and Remedies

Code.

SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives

a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as

provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this

Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this

Act takes effect September 1, 2025.