Commission Decisions

The summary of the Criminal Justice Entities' decisions are now available. 

Site Policies

Public Information Policy

Information and records in the custody of the Sunset Advisory Commission are available to the public under Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code, commonly known as the Public Information Act.  To encourage broad participation in the Sunset process and protect individual privacy interests, the Sunset Commission does not post online the contact information for individuals providing public comment to the Commission.

However, Texas Government Code §325.0195 contains the following exception for Sunset documents obtained or produced during the course of an agency review:

§ 325.0195. Records Protected From Disclosure

(a) A working paper, including all documentary or other information, prepared or maintained by the commission staff in performing its duties under this chapter or other law to conduct an evaluation and prepare a report is excepted from the public disclosure requirements of Section 552.021.

(b) A record held by another entity that is considered to be confidential by law and that the commission receives in connection with the performance of the commission’s functions under this chapter or another law remains confidential and is excepted from the public disclosure requirements of Section 552.021.

(c) A state agency that provides the commission with access to a privileged or confidential communication, record, document, or file under Section 325.019 for purposes of a review under this chapter does not waive the attorney-client privilege, or any other privilege or confidentiality requirement protected or required by the Texas Constitution, common law, statutory law, or rules of evidence, procedure, or professional conduct, with respect to the communication, record, document, or file provided to the commission. For purposes of this subsection, a communication includes a discussion that occurs at a meeting or proceeding of the state agency that is closed to the public.

Information Requests

The Sunset Advisory Commission makes every effort to respond to requests for information in a prompt and timely manner.  If the information cannot be produced within 10 working days, the requestor will be notified of the reasonable date and time when it will be available.  At times, information requested will be withheld due to the exceptions described above, or another exception in law, in which case the Attorney General will be contacted for a ruling. 

Requestors will be provided a cost estimate in advance for any charges that will be due for the information requested.  Sunset calculates cost estimates using the guidelines established by the Attorney General.  For requests estimated to exceed $100 in charges, a requestor will be required to pay a deposit equaling 50 percent of the total cost estimate.  Sunset will also charge an individual requestor for personnel time required to produce public information if the personnel time spent for that requestor exceeds 36 hours in a 12-month period.

Please submit all requests in person or in writing by using one of the following methods. Please include a mailing address and a daytime telephone number in the event we need to contact you. Sunset will not accept public information requests submitted through a social media page.

Mailing Address:

Public Information Coordinator

Sunset Advisory Commission

PO Box 13066

Austin, Texas 78711

In Person Delivery:

Sunset Advisory Commission

Robert E. Johnson Building, 6th Floor

1501 North Congress

Austin, Texas 78701



Email Address: publicinformation@sunset.texas.gov

See the Attorney General’s guidance on How to Request Public Information for more details.

Privacy Policy

Input from interested stakeholders is a fundamental part of the Sunset process.  Accordingly, the privacy and security of our stakeholders is very important to us to preserve a frank dialogue with stakeholders.  Throughout the following policies, we have tried to balance the requirements of open government with the interest of your privacy.

Collection of personally identifiable information.

The Sunset Commission does not collect any personally identifiable information unless you decide to provide us with that information.  If you choose to participate in a stakeholder survey or comment on an agency under review, you may choose to remain anonymous or provide your contact information.  All information shared with Sunset while evaluating an agency under review is considered confidential by law and will not be shared with anyone outside of Sunset. Whether you submit personal information will not affect our consideration of your comments.

Due to the nature of our reviews, stakeholders may be tempted to provide personal medical information. However, personally identifiable medical information is of such a private nature that Sunset encourages stakeholders to redact such information from any submissions to Sunset. Since Sunset does not directly involve itself in individual cases, Sunset does not need or use personally identifiable medical information to conduct its reviews, and such information will be redacted by Sunset’s Public Information Act Coordinator before its distribution to Sunset staff.  While we understand that stakeholders may want to provide supporting materials to demonstrate an issue they are raising or be contacted for follow-up information, Sunset will not retain any material that details a stakeholder’s medical condition or course of treatment, or similar personal information as a matter of practice.

Website Accessibility Policy

The Sunset Advisory Commission is committed to making its website accessible to all users. We welcome comments and suggestions to improve the accessibility of our website.

If you use assistive technology and the format of any material on our website interferes with your ability to access the information, please contact our Accessibility Coordinator by sending an email with “Regarding Accessibility” in the subject line to sunset@sunset.texas.gov or by calling (512) 463-1300.

To enable us to respond in the most helpful way, please indicate the nature of the accessibility problem, the preferred format in which to receive the material, the Web address of the requested material, and your contact information. Every attempt will be made to resolve the problem; however, due to technological resource limitations we may be unable to address all issues.

 For information about attending Sunset Commission meetings, please see Accommodations for People with Disabilities at Sunset Meetings.

Additional information on accessibility programs in Texas is available from the Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities.

Social Media Policy

Purpose & Scope

In keeping with Sunset’s goal of making government open and accessible, the agency may utilize social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook to post or share information related to official agency business. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that Sunset’s use of social media tools for official agency business remains in compliance with applicable laws and rules.

Control & Monitoring

The decision to use and the extent to which to use social media will be made by the Executive Director or his/her designee.  The Executive Director or said designee will also be responsible for the monitoring and upkeep of such tools.

Information & Privacy

The agency may not post or share information on a Sunset social media page if that information is confidential under any law or rule, or would be excepted from disclosure under the Public Information Act, Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code.  Members of the public should not post or share information on a Sunset social media page if that information is personal, sensitive, obscene, threatening, harassing, discriminatory, or would otherwise compromise public safety or incite violence or illegal activities.

Retention, Destruction & Removal of Information

Information posted or shared on a Sunset social media page may qualify as public information and/or a state record. Accordingly, such information will be retained or destroyed in accordance with Sunset’s Records Retention Schedule and any applicable laws or rules. Unless otherwise prohibited by law or rule, information posted or shared on a Sunset social media page may be removed and/or deleted from the page at any time at Sunset’s discretion.

Website Link Policy

Sunset's website complies with the Texas Department of Information Resources State Website Link Policy, which contains guidelines and information on linking to State agency websites. The policy will also govern linking to and from Sunset social media pages.  Our website includes links to various other public websites. These external sites have been selected based on the relevance of their content to assist visitors in locating additional resources and information within the scope of Sunset's duties or of general public concern. Some links to external sites are required by law to be included on our site and Sunset does not assume responsibility for the content of these sites nor does it endorse the content, products, services, or viewpoints expressed or provided.