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Office of the Attorney General - State of Texas John Cornyn |
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May 9, 2002 Ms. Julie Reagan Watson
OR2002-2453 Dear Ms. Watson: You ask whether certain information is subject to required public disclosure under chapter 552 of the Government Code. Your request was assigned ID# 162627. The Texas Department of Human Services (the "department") received a request for copies of six categories of information relating to the Medically Dependent Children's Program. You claim that portions of the requested information are excepted from disclosure under sections 552.101, 552.107, and 552.111 of the Government Code. We have considered the exceptions you claim and reviewed the submitted information. You claim that marked portions of the submitted information are excepted from disclosure pursuant to section 552.101 of the Government Code. Section 552.101 excepts from disclosure "information considered to be confidential by law, either constitutional, statutory, or by judicial decision." This section encompasses information protected by other statutes. You claim that this information is confidential pursuant to sections 12.003 and 21.012 of the Human Resources Code. Sections 12.003 and 21.012 prohibit the disclosure of information concerning clients of a state plan for medical assistance, except for a purpose directly connected with the administration of the plan. See Hum. Res. Code §§ 12.003, 21.012; see also 42 U.S.C. § 1396a(a)(7); 42 C.F.R. § 431.301; Open Records Decision Nos. 584 (1991), 166 (1977). Section 12.003 of the Human Resources Code provides: (a) Except for purposes directly connected with the administration of the department's assistance programs, it is an offense for a person to solicit, disclose, receive, or make use of, or to authorize, knowingly permit, participate in, or acquiesce in the use of the names of, or any information concerning, persons applying for or receiving assistance if the information is directly or indirectly derived from the records, papers, files, or communications of the department or acquired by employees of the department in the performance of their official duties. Hum. Res. Code § 12.003(a). In Open Records Decision No. 584 (1991), this office concluded that "[t]he inclusion of the words 'or any information' juxtaposed with the prohibition on disclosure of the names of the department's clients clearly expresses a legislative intent to encompass the broadest range of individual client information, and not merely the clients' names and addresses." Consequently, it is the specific information pertaining to individual clients, and not merely the clients' identities, that is made confidential under section 12.003. See Hum. Res. Code § 21.012 (department shall provide safeguards restricting use or disclosure of information concerning applicants for or recipients of department's assistance programs to purposes directly connected with administration of programs); see also Open Records Decision No. 166 (1977). It appears that release of the information you have marked as confidential client information under sections 12.003 and 21.012 of the Human Resources Code would not be for purposes directly connected with the administration of the department's assistance program. It also appears that most of the information constitutes "any information concerning" persons applying for or receiving assistance. Therefore, most of this marked information is confidential under sections 12.003 and 21.012 of the Human Resources Code and must be withheld from disclosure under section 552.101 of the Government Code. We have marked additional client information that the department must withhold pursuant to these statutes. Some of the information you have marked is not information concerning persons applying for or receiving assistance. We have marked such information that the department must release. You also claim that marked portions of the responsive information are excepted from disclosure under section 552.107 of the Government Code. Section 552.107(1) protects information coming within the attorney-client privilege. In instances where an attorney represents a governmental entity, the attorney-client privilege protects only an attorney's legal advice and the client's confidences made to the attorney. See Open Records Decision No. 574 (1990). Accordingly, these two classes of information are the only information contained in the records at issue that may be withheld pursuant to the attorney-client privilege. We agree that the information you have marked reflects an attorney's legal advice. The department may therefore withhold the marked information under section 552.107 of the Government Code. You claim that the remainder of the submitted information that you have marked is excepted from disclosure pursuant to section 552.111 of the Government Code. Section 552.111 excepts from disclosure "an interagency or intra-agency memorandum or letter that would not be available by law to a party in litigation with the agency." In Open Records Decision No. 615 (1993), this office reexamined the predecessor to the section 552.111 exception in light of the decision in Texas Department of Public Safety v. Gilbreath, 842 S.W.2d 408 (Tex. App.--Austin 1992, no writ), and held that section 552.111 excepts only those internal communications consisting of advice, recommendations, opinions, and other material reflecting the policymaking processes of the governmental body. An agency's policymaking functions do not encompass internal administrative or personnel matters; disclosure of information relating to such matters will not inhibit free discussion among agency personnel as to policy issues. Open Records Decision No. 615 at 5-6 (1993). Additionally, section 552.111 does not generally except from disclosure purely factual information that is severable from the opinion portions of internal memoranda. Id. at 4-5. Having reviewed the information at issue, we conclude that the majority of what you have marked consists of advice, opinions, recommendations, or other material reflecting the policymaking processes of the governmental body. Therefore, you may withhold this information under section 552.111 of the Government Code. We have marked the information that is not excepted from disclosure under section 552.111 that must be released. We note that the submitted information contains e-mail addresses obtained from the public that are excepted from public disclosure. Section 552.137 of the Government Code makes certain e-mail addresses confidential and provides in relevant part: (a) An e-mail address of a member of the public that is provided for the purpose of communicating electronically with a governmental body is confidential and not subject to disclosure under this chapter. (b) Confidential information described by this section that relates to a member of the public may be disclosed if the member of the public affirmatively consents to its release. Accordingly, as there is no indication that there has been consent to any release, the department must withhold the e-mail addresses we have marked under section 552.137 of the Government Code. In summary, we conclude that: 1) most of the client information you have marked and the additional information we have marked are confidential under sections 12.003 and 21.012 of the Human Resources Code and must be withheld from disclosure under section 552.101 of the Government Code; 2) the information you have marked that reflects an attorney's legal advice may be withheld under section 552.107 of the Government Code; 3) unless we have marked it otherwise, you may withhold the remainder of the information you have marked under section 552.111 of the Government Code; and 4) the department must withhold the e-mail addresses we have marked under section 552.137 of the Government Code. The department must release the remainder of the information. This letter ruling is limited to the particular records at issue in this request and limited to the facts as presented to us; therefore, this ruling must not be relied upon as a previous determination regarding any other records or any other circumstances. This ruling triggers important deadlines regarding the rights and responsibilities of the governmental body and of the requestor. For example, governmental bodies are prohibited from asking the attorney general to reconsider this ruling. Gov't Code § 552.301(f). If the governmental body wants to challenge this ruling, the governmental body must appeal by filing suit in Travis County within 30 calendar days. Id. § 552.324(b). In order to get the full benefit of such an appeal, the governmental body must file suit within 10 calendar days. Id. § 552.353(b)(3), (c). If the governmental body does not appeal this ruling and the governmental body does not comply with it, then both the requestor and the attorney general have the right to file suit against the governmental body to enforce this ruling. Id. § 552.321(a). If this ruling requires the governmental body to release all or part of the requested information, the governmental body is responsible for taking the next step. Based on the statute, the attorney general expects that, within 10 calendar days of this ruling, the governmental body will do one of the following three things: 1) release the public records; 2) notify the requestor of the exact day, time, and place that copies of the records will be provided or that the records can be inspected; or 3) notify the requestor of the governmental body's intent to challenge this letter ruling in court. If the governmental body fails to do one of these three things within 10 calendar days of this ruling, then the requestor should report that failure to the attorney general's Open Government Hotline, toll free, at 877/673-6839. The requestor may also file a complaint with the district or county attorney. Id. § 552.3215(e). If this ruling requires or permits the governmental body to withhold all or some of the requested information, the requestor can appeal that decision by suing the governmental body. Id. § 552.321(a); Texas Department of Public Safety v. Gilbreath, 842 S.W.2d 408,411 (Tex. App.--Austin 1992, no writ). Please remember that under the Act the release of information triggers certain procedures for costs and charges to the requestor. If records are released in compliance with this ruling, be sure that all charges for the information are at or below the legal amounts. Questions or complaints about over-charging must be directed to Hadassah Schloss at the Texas Building and Procurement Commission at 512/475-2497. If the governmental body, the requestor, or any other person has questions or comments about this ruling, they may contact our office. We note that a third party may challenge this ruling by filing suit seeking to withhold information from a requestor. Gov't Code § 552.325. Although there is no statutory deadline for contacting us, the attorney general prefers to receive any comments within 10 calendar days of the date of this ruling. Sincerely, W. Montgomery Meitler
c: Ms. Lucy Wood
POST OFFICE BOX 12548, AUSTIN, TEXAS 78711-2548 TEL: (512) 463-2100 WEB: WWW.OAG.STATE.TX.US |