Understanding TOMA and its Practical Application to State and Local Government

The focus is on understanding the implications of the Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA) on state and local government. The fundamental tenet underlying TOMA is that all regular, special, or called meetings of a governmental body must be open to the public. TOMA accomplishes this by providing rules and procedures for state and local government meetings, notices and records. The author concludes that these rules and procedures achieve uniformity of access in state and local governments in effect giving the public an open invitation to participate in the government’s daily political life.