UT System submits brief to Attorney General’s Office

AUSTIN—The University of Texas Board of Regents voted 8-0 today to submit a brief to the Texas Attorney General’s Office in response to a request for an opinion submitted by private counsel on behalf of Regent Wallace Hall. Regent Hall abstained from the vote.  

At issue are two questions concerning the authority of the Board of Regents to regulate an individual regent’s access to records and the responsibility of the chancellor following a board vote on that access. The request is publicly available on Texas Attorney General’s website.

The brief approved by the board takes the position that an individual regent is not authorized by law to request such an opinion without the consent of the board, nor may he make such a request through a private attorney. The brief argues that a regent’s right to information is subject to reasonable limitations, including privacy limitations imposed by federal law such as the confidentiality of certain student information.  Finally, the brief takes the position that the chancellor has authority under the Regents’ Rules to enforce both Regents’ Rules and the laws imposing limitations on access to information.