A bill under consideration by Texas lawmakers would require city police departments and county sheriff offices across the state – including in Austin-area suburbs like Round Rock, Georgetown and Pflugerville – to withhold records related to certain internal misconduct investigations from the general public and outside government agencies.
Senate Bill 14, authored by Sen. Phil King, would require all law enforcement agencies in Texas to maintain a confidential collection of personnel records – colloquially known as a “G file” – related to internal misconduct investigations that didn’t result in disciplinary action and other sensitive matters including background checks conducted during the hiring process.
King, who did not respond to requests for comment, filed identical legislation earlier this year during the regular legislative session but the measure failed to pass before sine die in mid-May. But Gov. Greg Abbott included the issue in a jam-packed special session agenda…