January 22, 2010

Ms. Elizabeth A. Donley

Law Offices of Robert E. Luna, P.C.

Attorney for Carrollton- Farmers Branch Independent School District

4411 North Central Expressway

Dallas, Texas 75205

OR2010-01035

Dear Ms. Donley:

You ask whether certain information is subject to required public disclosure under the Public Information Act (the "Act"), chapter 552 of the Government Code. Your request was assigned ID# 368186.

The Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District (the "district"), which you represent, received a request for several purchase orders and checks related to those purchase orders. You state you have released some responsive information to the requestor. You claim that the remaining requested information is excepted from disclosure under section 552.136 of the Government Code. We have considered the exception you claim and reviewed the submitted information.

Section 552.136 of the Government Code provides that "[n]otwithstanding any other provision of [the Act], a credit card, debit card, charge card, or access device number that is collected, assembled, or maintained by or for a governmental body is confidential." Gov't Code § 552.136(b); see id. § 552.136(a) (defining "access device"). You state the submitted information contains bank account numbers and bank account routing numbers that are excepted from disclosure under section 552.136. Upon review, we agree the district must withhold the bank account and routing numbers you have marked under section 552.136 of the Government Code. ⁽¹⁾ As you raise no further exceptions to disclosure, the remaining information must be released to the requestor.

This letter ruling is limited to the particular information 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 information or any other circumstances.

This ruling triggers important deadlines regarding the rights and responsibilities of the governmental body and of the requestor. For more information concerning those rights and responsibilities, please visit our website at http://www.oag.state.tx.us/open/index_orl.php, or call the Office of the Attorney General's Open Government Hotline, toll free, at (877) 673-6839. Questions concerning the allowable charges for providing public information under the Act must be directed to the Cost Rules Administrator of the Office of the Attorney General, toll free, at (888) 672-6787.

Sincerely,

Amy L.S. Shipp

Assistant Attorney General

Open Records Division

ALS/rl

Ref: ID# 368186

Enc. Submitted documents

cc: Requestor

(w/o enclosures)

Footnotes

1. We note this office recently issued Open Records Decision No. 684 (2009), a previous determination to all governmental bodies authorizing them to withhold ten categories of information, including a bank account number and a bank routing number under section 552.136 of the Government Code, without the necessity of requesting an attorney general decision.

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