Each March, Sunshine Week highlights the importance of open government, public accountability, and the public’s right to know how governmental institutions operate. Transparency laws at both the federal and state level play a crucial role in supporting these principles. Many people are familiar with the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which allows members of the public to request records from federal agencies. However, FOIA applies only to federal government records. In Texas, access to information held by state and local governmental bodies is governed by a different law: the Texas Public Information Act (TPIA).