Discussion board

Please complete the steps in Power Civic Part 2 and share your experience on this discussion board. Please reply to two of your classmates by commenting on their experiences. Please attach your PRA request letter to this discussion board. You may delete any personal information that you don't want to share. Please complete this by Friday, September 17 at noon.

STEP 2: SUBMIT A PUBLIC RECORDS ACT REQUEST

FIND OUT HOW THE CURRENT POLICY WORKS

☐ First, investigate what your city/county/school district is currently doing to

address your priority issue by exploring the city/county/school district website,

media coverage, or making phone calls to the appropriate office.

☐ Dig deeper by preparing a Public Records Act (PRA) request of documents

creating the current policy for submission either to the city government, county

government, or the school district. Remember that you are requesting copies of

existing records (e.g. resolutions, ordinances, written policies and procedures),

so be as specific as possible.

☐ Find, complete and submit the PRA request form/letter to the appropriate party.

Sample request letters for your state can be downloaded at

https://www.nfoic.org/organizations/state-sample-foia-request-letters. (Please

note: Request forms or instructions are often available on the city, town, school

district, or county government’s website.)

BELLOW IS THE SAMPLE OF WHAT IS EXPECTED FROM THIS DISCUSSION.

TEXAS PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT INFORMATION REQUEST FORM

For guidance regarding your rights as a requestor and the public information procedures adopted by

this governmental body, you may review the governmental body’s notice required under section 552.205 of

the Government Code. You can find additional Public Information Act resources on the Office of the Attorney

General's website at http://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/open-government.

First Name: Last Name: Sandra

Company/Organization: Rights of the People Organization

Mailing Address: 1349 W 43rd St

City: State: Zip Code: Houston, Texas 77018

E-mail Address: Phone Number: (281) 445-6779

Preferred Manner of Written Communication: Letter

Description of the Information Requested: A letter of proof to show that funds from the Hurricane Harvey Relief Programs will be implemented to assist residents that was hit the hardest, because as of date, little has been done to help the residents that are still suffering from the disaster of Harvey.

(Note: Describe the information as precisely as you can.)

Please Note: If the information requested is unclear or if a large amount of information is requested you may be

contacted to discuss clarifying or narrowing your request. There may be charges associated with production of the requested

information. You may find more information regarding the charges under the Public Information Act HERE.

• How would you like to have the information provided? Written Letter

• If available, do you wish to receive an electronic copy of the information? No

• Do you agree to the redaction of information that is subject to mandatory exceptions, provided such

redactions are clearly labeled on the information you received? Yes

• Do you agree to the redaction of information that is subject to discretionary exceptions, provided such

redactions are clearly labeled on the information you receive? Yes

Date Range: (August) 2017: to: (Present) 2022

Under the Public Information Act, some categories of information do not have to be released.

Exceptions to disclosure fall into two general categories: 1) mandatory exceptions that make information

confidential and require a governmental body to withhold information, and 2) discretionary exceptions

that allow but do not require a governmental body to withhold information. You may find

information about mandatory and discretionary exceptions HERE.

In most instances, a governmental body is required to request a decision from the Attorney General in order to

withhold information from a requestor. However, a requestor may permit a governmental body to redact

information without requesting an Attorney General decision. You are not required to agree to the redaction of

any information responsive to your request but doing so may streamline the handling of your request. If you

agree to redactions in this request, then you may request the redacted information in a future information request.

From: Federal Emergency Management Agency

INFORMATION PREFERENCES: In Mail

Requestor Contact Information: Sandra Johnson (at the above address)

Rev. 10/1/201

Reply Reply to Comment

11:00amJan 25 at 11am

The Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund was set up to provide relief to the survivors in the form of emergency supplies like water, food, and medicine and in addition to long term assistance in helping to residents to recover and rebuild, but as of date the Fund has stalled, and little has been done towards the recovery in many areas of the city. FEMA provided 3 million meals, 9,900 blankets, 8,840 cots and 10,300 hygiene kits were distributed and that's helpful and appreciated, but residents are living in dilapidated homes in the poor areas of our city. Our Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee is demanding homes for disabled, and elderly residents be assessed for Hurricane Harvey damage. I just hope this is not just a political move on Congresswoman Lee behalf, because our poor communities need to mend to put our lives back together again