Public Information (Open Records)
Section: General Index: A-34
Policy
The University of Houston–Victoria (UHV) is committed to compliance with the letter and the spirit of the Texas Public Information Act (“the Act”) (Texas Government Code Chapter 552). The purpose of this policy is to guide UHV’s handling of and responses to requests for information under the Act.
The Business Services Department coordinates responses to all public information act requests that UHV receives and forwards these requests to the University of Houston System (UHS) Public Information Act Officer (PIO) who is responsible for (1) ensuring compliance with the Texas Public Information Act and with the System’s public information policy, (2) responding to requests for public information as directed, and (3) providing support to UHV.
Any university personnel receiving inquiries concerning disclosure of information should ask that the request be put in writing and directed to Business Services. Requests for information should be sent via mail or in person Attention: Public Information Act, University of Houston, 125 E. Cullen Building, Houston, TX 77204-2021; fax to (713) 743-0728 Attention: Public Information Act Officer.
All information and records held by the System and its components are public, unless they fall within a specific exception to the Act. The Office of the General Counsel will determine whether the information is to be released, or whether it falls within an exception to the Act. If an exception is claimed, the Office of the General Counsel will request an opinion from the Attorney General of Texas.
The General Counsel must request an opinion from the Attorney General within 10 business days of receipt of the request by the System or the System’s component institutions, or the information is deemed public and may be subject to public disclosure.
The Office of the General Counsel in conjunction with the UHS PIO will coordinate the release of any requested information, and determine appropriate charges to the requestor for duplication of records using guidelines of the Office of the Attorney General.
Pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 552.275, the System has established a time limit on the amount of time personnel of the System and/or the System’s component institutions are required to spend producing public information for inspection or duplication by a requestor, or providing copies of public information to a requestor without recovering its costs attributable to that personnel time. The time limit which has been established by the System shall be 36 hours per fiscal year. Requestors who exceed the 36 hour time limit will be required to pay costs attributable to cost of materials, overhead and personnel time regardless of whether the requestor intends to only inspect the documents. This section does not apply to those requestors exempt by Texas Government Code Section 552.275.
References
http://www.uh.edu/af/universityservices/policies/sam/3FicsalAffairs/3H2.pdf
http://www.uh.edu/legal-affairs/general-counsel/texas-public-information/index.php
https://www.uhv.edu/texas-public-information-act/
Approved by:
Signature Obtained 11/08/16
Raymond V. Morgan, Jr., Ph.D. Date
President
Next review date: November 2019
Originating Department: Business Services